ONESHOTS
by ChelsM3-ZKFTW
Summary: A collection of Oneshots. BBxRae, ZuTara, Wally/Artemis, SoMa
1. Catch Me BBxRae

_Before I fall too fast:_ "Rae, there's something that you should know…" Raven looked up from her book to see the green changeling. His emerald eyes were shining with embarrassment. Oh, Azarath, please don't let it be what I think it is.

Raven put her book beside her, "what is it, Beast Boy?" her voice in that perfect monotone that gave nothing away.

Beast Boy rubbed the back of his head, "alright, so here's the thing. I've kinda, really, sorta, might…you know, like you. And I know you probably don't like me back, but I just had to tell you." he closed his eyes tightly, "I'm ready for the pain." nothing happened. Odd.

_Kiss me quick: _He opened his eyes to see her staring at him. Just staring. No anger in her eyes no hatred. Did this mean she liked him back? There was only one way to find out, "Rae?" no answer. He was gonna do it. The time was now, but he was scared, what if she zapped him with her dark energy? Was the pain worth it? Damn right it was.

He knelt next to her on the couch, don't hurt me. Beast Boy cupped her cheek in his palm, pulling her head forward. Her purple eyes glistening with uncertainty, what if this was wrong? There were no sure things in life especially when it came to Beast Boy. Violet irises met apple ones for a brief second before they closed. He brushed his lips lightly over hers.

_But make it last: _Beast Boy had dreamt of kissing the purpled haired Goth for so long. He thought he was still dreaming until she began kissing him back.

Raven had never been in such an intimate embrace with anyone before. It was pleasant, nothing like she expected. She felt Beast Boy's tongue slip into her mouth and everything she had felt before seemed far away. All of her emotions felt heightened, more alive. Becoming bold, Raven let her own tongue do a spicy dance with his. He set a pace and Raven met it every step of the way. Beast Boy pushed her against the couch and sat next to her.

_So I can see how badly this will hurt me: _Without her permission she felt her energy flow out of her body. Dark magic encased the coffee table across from them. It hovered in air before crashing against the wall opposite of them.

Without warning, Raven pulled back from Beast Boy pushing him off the couch, "No! we can not do this."

The green hero rose off the floor, "Rae, what is it? What's wrong?"

The empath turned her eyes away, "Nothing, Beast Boy. I just…it's not safe with me. And you know that. This," she waved her hand between her and him, "can't happen."

_When you say good-bye: _BB nodded his head, "wow, you are completely right. What the hell was I thinking? Forgive me for telling you how I feel. Forgive me for seeing that we would be good together and that if we like each other enough danger isn't going to stop us from being together. I forgot you were single minded that way." he was angry. Angry at her for not letting them be together. Angry at himself to think that he ever had a chance to be with her. "Well, I'll see you around. Actually, I won't see you for a couple of weeks. I got a call from the Doom Patrol, they need help from an old friend. See ya, whenever."

Raven watched her jade crush walk away from her. She wasn't sure when she would see him again, but she didn't want this to be the last time, "Beast Boy,"

He faced her, "What, Rae?" he couldn't look into her amethyst eyes, he was too hurt and upset. Looking into her eyes would only make this day that much worse.

The psychic pushed herself up from her seat, "you don't understand, I like you too, but we wouldn't be good for one another."

_Keep it sweet, Keep it slow, Let the future pass: _Beast Boy finally looked up, he didn't say anything. Just walked toward her. Lifting both his hands he placed them on Raven's face. He contemplated kissing her again, but decided to let her make the decisions.

It felt as though hours had gone by when she finally looked away, "I'm sorry, Beast Boy, no."

His hands fell from her face, "I'm leaving around ten tonight. I'll be on the roof if you wanna talk." Without another word he walked to his room. Anger burning his face.

Raven felt his anger for her stubbornness, his pain for being rejected, his embarrassment for failing, his reluctance for leaving, his confusion for what she had said. Raven would have liked nothing more than to show her own emotions and cry, but that would result in the end of the tower. Instead she flew to her room to meditate.

BBxRAE BBxRAE BBxRAE

_And don't let go: _"BEAST BOY! NO!" Raven emerged from her trance with a jolt. What time was it? She looked to her clock. 9:55. Beast Boy was leaving in only minutes and she had to make it to him before he left. She had to tell him the truth. Phasing through her roof so she didn't have to face the other titans before being able to face him.

Within seconds, she was atop the roof looking at the green light of her life. He was looking over the ocean, getting ready to change into an animal. "Beast Boy, wait." he turned his head over his shoulder.

"Rae?" his voice was barely a whisper but it carried to her and flowed over her.

She moved closer to him, "you were right, BB, I just don't know how to handle this." she wished she could make the tone of her voice alter to match her emotions, but that would give her completely away. Make her weak and vulnerable.

BB turned to her, "are you ready to do this with me?"

She looked away, "I don't know." her voice never missed her normal pitch.

He nodded, "Alright, then, I'm leaving. Bye." he faced the other direction in attempt to leave.

Raven grabbed hold of his arm, "Don't. I don't know if I'll ever be ready for it. But I do want to try with you." she slid her fingers down his arm to his hand where she placed her own hand.

Beast Boy gripped her hand firmly, "that's all I'm asking for, Rae."

_But tonight I could fall too soon under this beautiful moonlight: _"Sit with me?" he hooked his thumb in the direction of the tower's edge.

She nodded slowly, still unsure. He sat and pulled her down with him. Their feet danced in the night air as she watched the moon reflect off the ocean like life reflected off of Beast Boy's eyes whenever she saw him. "Beast Boy, I'm not going to lie. This is weird."

Her green hero just snickered, "I know what you mean, Rae."

The two heroes had talked for hours, until his Goth raven fell asleep in his lap. They sat on the roof until the sun washed over them.

_But you're so hypnotizing, You've got me laughing while I sing, You've got me smiling in my sleep: _While Raven slept she dreamt of mesmerizing emerald eyes that belonged to a boy who always made her laugh. She dreamt of a life she never thought possible for her. She dreamt of love and affection. Things she wasn't entirely sure she could ever feel.

A hand fell upon her shoulder, "Rae, Raven. Wake up. It's about 6 o'clock. We've been out here all night. And you need to get some actual sleep. Rae, wake up." she felt the corners of her lips twitch upwards. "Rae, I know you're awake."

Raven groaned, but lifted her head anyway. "Mmm, alright, I'm up. I am so tired." she stood from her spot on the roof and stretched.

Beast Boy chuckled, "me, too, Rae, me too. Come let's get to sleep. Oh, and I've decided I'm not going to leave anymore. I think there are more important things here." he clambered to his feet.

She rubbed the back of her neck, "Beast Boy, sleep with me tonight?" her voice had trailed off bit by bit with sleep.

The green boy's eyes doubled in size, "really? Are you sure, Raven?" he calmed himself down slightly, not wanting to sound over zealous.

She nodded her head, "yeah I think so."

"Alright, then, Rae. Come on." he grabbed her hand again started for the stairs.

They were back in the tower, wandering the halls, hand in hand, "where do you want to go, Rae?"

Raven hadn't thought of this, she didn't want to go into her room. It was too personal and she wasn't ready to reveal her whole being to him in such a way. "Let's go to your room?"

Beast Boy grinned, "I was hoping you would say that." he led her to his domain. In the middle of the room was a massive bed.

"Uh… why is it so big?"

His cheeks grew warm with embarrassment, "well, sometimes I change into bigger animals before I sleep."

"Oh, nice." Raven smiled.

Beast Boy got into the bed and Raven followed. He decided to sleep in his human form. She cuddled in close. Her back against his front. They slept well into the afternoon. Only woken by the titans pounding on the door looking for them.

BBxRAE BBxRAE BBxRAE

_And I can see this unraveling: _Raven woke up lazily. She stretched her arms out and hit Beast Boy in his head, causing an 'oof' sound to radiate from him. She shot up quickly, forgetting where she was and what had happened last night. Beside her a small kitten appeared. It cuddled up against her thigh. Raven petted the top of his head, "So, cute, Beast Boy." She smiled sweetly. Raven had noticed her voice had taken on a more emotional tone. It no longer had the monotone pitch. At least not completely. She wondered why this was. Could it be Beast Boy? Could it be the way he made her feel? This was too new for her.

_You're love is where I'm falling, But please don't catch me: _How could this have happened? She never thought it would be possible for her to…love…someone. Wait, she didn't even know if that's what was happening here. And if it was, did she want it to stop? Did she want to go back to her days of monotone, black and white colors and empty bliss? Maybe she could have new days filled with laughter, smiles and colors. She wanted to believe it was possible. She needed to believe it.

Beast Boy transformed back to his usual green self, "Afternoon, Rae. How'd you sleep?" he nuzzled her neck.

Raven smiled at him, "I slept well. And you?"

"Nothing short of awesome, of course. I had the most amazing girl by my side."

_See this heart, won't settle down: _If it were possible, Raven's grin grew larger. She got the weird sensation she usually got when she was about to unleash her energy on something. Except this time, she hadn't wanted to release it. The bed, her and Beast Boy included, levitated in the air. "Rae, what's going on?" Beast Boy gripped to the edge of his sleeping quarters with everything he had.

NO! This wasn't supposed to happen. She had thought her emotions were in check, but being with him only made it worse, "Beast Boy, I'm sorry. I don't know why I can't be with you and have my powers in check. I just don't know." Raven floated to the ground, leaving Beast Boy and the bed in the air. "I'm so sorry." she whispered the apology, hoping he heard.

_Like a child running scared from a clown: _"Ahhhhh!" Raven let the yell form in her throat and be released into the afternoon sky. Why did this have to happen? Why couldn't she just be normal? Damn her father to the fiery pits of hell!

The over whelming feelings scared her almost as much as her father had. Almost as much as she scared herself. She didn't want to be without Beast Boy, but if it came down to her sanity and being with him. Her decision wasn't going to matter.

_I'm terrified of what you do: _Could she seriously rest her whole life, the way her life used to be, the way her life is now, the way her life would be, in the palms of a green changeling? Would it be worth the pain she would feel? Raven would like to think so, but she wasn't sure. Not sure at all.

Raven composed her face into her unfeeling mask and phased through the roof and into the tower. She had to make it to her room, before anyone found her. Before they interrogated her about what was going on between her and BB. She wouldn't have known how to answer them. She had to get to her room. To meditate, to think.

_My stomach screams just when I look at you: _As she walked by the kitchen she heard that familiar voice. The one that turned her whole world upside down. "Have you guys seen Raven?" She curved her head and saw his green body. He was talking to the others. Was he trying to find her?

She ducked her body behind the wall and peeked her head out. Sure enough, there he was asking the titans if they had seen her. They all shook their heads no, until Cyborg saw her. He looked at her questioning ready to state what he was seeing, but Raven swung her head rapidly, signaling him to shut up. He understood.

_Run far away, So I can breathe: _Raven ran down the halls and into her room. He can't find me, I won't let him, she repeated the thought over and over. Hoping it would stick, it didn't. The turmoil inside her was getting worse. It was all his fault. He made her this way, didn't he?

_Even though you're far from suffocating me: _She sat in her meditating area, crossed her legs and chanted. No, he didn't do anything to her. No a thing. He made her feel alive. Made her feel something a side from the dulling abyss. He wasn't suffocating her, in fact he was giving her life. Giving her air.

_I can't set my hopes to high: _Think nothing of it! The voice in her head yelled with passion. It was true she couldn't let herself get too excited about anything. Nothing goes the way she planned it to be. Beast Boy was the proof of that. She hadn't planned on lo…liking him so much. And yet here she was, uncertain if what she was feeling was real or if she was dreaming. Dammit all to hell. If she let herself get too close to Beast Boy to like him too much, it wouldn't last long. Nothing in her life ever did.

_Cuz every hello ends with a good-bye: _No one in her life ever lasted long. He would leave her like everyone else had in her life. The titans were the closest thing she had to a family and had settled with them for the most continued time, but how long would that last? She could not and would not put her life on the line on the off chance that Beast Boy, Garfield, might be different. Could she? Would she?

_BANG! BANG!_

_So now you see, Why I'm scared: _A knock sounded at the door. She jumped from her vicinity and tip toed to the door. Looking through the peep hole she saw the green boy in question. _BANG! BANG! _"Go away, Beast Boy! Leave me alone!" She didn't want to answer the door, she didn't have to. _BANG! BANG! _"Please, go away, Beast Boy." But then again she might not have a choice. _BANG! BANG! _"I don't want to open the door." Nope, she most definitely didn't have a choice. _BANG! BANG! _"Alright, fine, I'm opening the door."

She did as she said she would, he stood before worried and yet angry at the same time. "Whatever this is about you need to tell me. I don't care if it's about you not wanting to be with me. I just need to know, so I'm not chasing a dream here, Rae." Beast Boy came in her room with a goal in mind. Get to the bottom of the situation. He did not plan on Raven falling to her knees crying. He did not plan on watching her entire room be destroyed with every tear that fell from her lavender eyes.

"Rae! Rae! Rae, stop. Calm down." nothing he said stopped the tears. He fell beside her encasing her body in his arms, "Rachel. Rae. Raven. Please stop crying. Hold me back. We'll get through this. Come on," he spoke each word with earnest. He spoke them slowly, trying to get through to her.

_I can't open up my heart without a care: _Gradually, her body stopped shaking, her energy came back into her, her tears ceased flowing. Raven looked up at Beast Boy. "why do you do this to me? Why do you make me lose all control? Don't you get it! If we were to be together I'd destroy you. I'd destroy without realizing it. For no reason, other than the fact you may have looked at me wrong. I. Am. Dangerous. Beast Boy. You're better off just leaving." she snarled the words through her teeth.

BB looked down at her, "You know what, Rae? I've got something to say to you. One: I'm real sick of you telling me no. Two: I'm not sorry for making you feel. I'm not sorry for liking you. I'm not sorry for making you lose control. I'm not sorry for any of it. But what I am sorry for is that I didn't do it sooner. Rae, why don't YOU get it? Why don't you understand, I'm not leaving. Danger's my middle name, baby. So bring all the danger you got."

_But here I go, It's what I feel: _Raven felt her face relax, he was serious about this. Was it possible? A huge weight seemed to have lifted from her shoulders. The weight of uncertainty. Was all she needed was a response from him like this one? All she needed to know if she could freely lov…like him was to know if she could trust him. "If there was a time to be serious it's right now, Beast Boy. Are you serious about this?"

He only gave her a one word answer, "yes."

_And for the first time in my life I know it's real: _Raven's heart soared, that one little word broke her through her fear, her insecurities and went right to her soul. She buried her head into his shoulder. She felt the weight of his head laying atop her own. "Thank you Beast Boy."

He brushed his head against her hair, "Any time, Rae."

_And if this is love, Please don't break me: _"Garfield?" she tried out the foreign word.

He laughed softly, his name sounded funny on her tongue, "Yeah?"

Her voice was quiet, "If this is what's really going to happen, please don't let me fall."

Beast Boy had never heard her voice so warmhearted, she was really starting to change and fast, "I wouldn't dream of it, Raven. I don't want to hurt you."

_I'm giving up, So just catch me: She smiled to herself, "I love you."_

_Triumph over powered his expression, "I love you, too."_


	2. Date With Destiny

Starfire watched Robin pull his helmet off his head, mask still sitting on his face, hiding his eyes. His spikey hair danced in the wind. He stood uncurved and fixed his penguin suit, that's what Beast Boy had called it. That was something she'd always had the feelings for. The way he held himself.

Before he entered the giant metal floatation device, Starfire wanted to give something. It was a rose. It was a custom here on Earth for the boy to have one on his outer clothing and the girl to have one on her wrist, but because she and he were not doing the dating, she would not be receiving one. But the terrible blonde girl would be.

This made Starfire's blood do the angry dance through her. Cyborg told her that was her blood boiling because it was mad. Though she didn't understand the meaning of that phrase she still felt it. _Calm down, _she told herself, _soon this will all be over. _Nodding her head, she moved closer to friend Robin to give him the plant.

Robin couldn't believe his luck. Of all the stupid demands a villain could make, taking his daughter to prom had to have been the dumbest. He straightened his coat and began moving toward the ramp when he felt a hand tap his shoulder.

Anger coursed through his body. He sure as hell hoped it wasn't the rotten child he was being forced to be here with. He didn't want to deal with her yet. He needed a few more minutes of peace and quiet. Just a few. Collecting his composure he turned to face the source of touch.

The sight his eyes came into contact with was not the one he expected. Starfire stood before him in all her long legged alien beauty. Her lush, bright, red hair was down as usual, but tonight it seemed to shine more. Her eyes, worthy of being the sole obsession of any man's dreams, sparkled like a chrome colored tourmaline. A thin strapped, glittering purple dress flowed over her body, like silk. Grey gloves ran up her arms, fitting her as though they belonged there. In her hands was a white rose.

"Starfire? What are you doing here?" not that he cared all that much. In fact, her being here was better for Kitten. Well, in the sense that Robin wouldn't want to strangle her spoiled throat. But in a way it was worse for Kitten. To say Star wasn't the biggest fan of her was the understatement of the year.

"I know you do not wish for me to be here, but I do not want you to be here alone with Kitten. She makes me feel the unpleasant emotions." she walked toward him and pinned the rose to his jacket, "I wanted you to have this since I know the girl will not have one for you." she averted her eyes, bashful.

At that moment, something within Robin clicked into place. _It's odd, _he thought, _I never felt the need to go to one of these normal teenager things, but, now, after seeing Star, it makes me wish we had that luxury. The Boy Wonder had an idea._

"_Hey, Star," she peeked her luminous eyes at him beneath her lashes. She made him feel like a horny teenager, go figure. Out of uncertainty or embarrassment, he couldn't tell which, he put his right arm behind his head, "if we return to the tower tonight unscathed and not exhausted, would you like to dance with me?"_

_Now it was Robin's turn to look away, preparing for the worse. It wasn't like him to do something so brazen when it came to things like this. He didn't know what had come over him. "Oh, Robin, that would be most wonderful and joyous! Please, I do wish to do the dance with you!"_

_Robin looked at the alien warrior and thought himself to be the luckiest guy who walked this Earth. Acting of out character, yet again, he leaned toward her. He placed his left hand on the small of her back and with his right hand he pulled her head to his._

_Starfire squeaked as Robin smashed his lips against hers. It wasn't like Robin hadn't had his fair share of females, but this was Starfire. This was the girl, alien, that got his blood pumping, his heart racing. This was the one he wanted to spend forever with, though he'd never say anything to her. This kiss was something else. It was special._

_At first it seemed as though Star wasn't going to return the intimate action, but as he began to pull away in defeat, she slipped her tongue into his mouth, catching the bird off guard. He returned every ounce of passion back to her. In Robin's mind, the kiss lasted for hours, but that couldn't be. Was he dreaming? If so, he didn't want it to end. But as he knew from experience, all good things must come to an end._

"_OH, ROBBY POO! YOUR KITTEN IS HERE!" abruptly, the teens pulled apart, their eyes not meeting._

"_So, um, I guess this is where I go to the dance with her. I guess, I'll, uh, see you around?" Robin began walking away from the red haired princess, but he noticed her expression. It screamed insecurity. She thought he would forget all about this. She thought he thought this to be a mistake. She thought he didn't care about her. Was he giving off that kind of vibe? He hoped to hell he wasn't. He couldn't handle the thought of hurting his star. Not ever. "Hey, Star, I'll see you later tonight, right?"_

_She looked at him, a smile plastered to her face. "Oh, yes, Robin, we will be doing the seeing of each other this glorious night!" she elevated slightly in the air._

_Robin smiled and went to the demon child he was forced to baby sit. The only thing stopping his from strangling her was the thought of his kiss with Star. The thought of what would happen tonight. And the thought was what tomorrow would bring._


	3. Dreaming

Katara's head hit the keyboard and flew back up. She had fallen asleep again. Damn it! It's not like she hated dreaming, in fact she loved it, but this dream had been plagued with Zuko. Again. Just like it had so many times. It was evil and cruel of her brain to be playing tricks on her.

This could not be happening to her! Not again! She had a deadline and she was not going to make it. Why? Because her mind seemed to be in another place right now. It wasn't on her paper. It wasn't on her research. It wasn't where it was supposed to be. It was in a place that made her happier. It was in a place that made her want. It was in a place that it shouldn't have been in. Damn it all to hell and back! Damn him to hell and back. Him and his golden orbs, longish black hair and scarred face.

She'd known the boy for years now, best friends with him ever since middle school. High school hadn't changed that and neither had college. She'd loved him ever since high school. But he didn't feel the same way.

Come on, Katara. You need to focus. Take a couple of breaths, get some coff- no not coffee, you know what that does to you. Get some hot chocolate, no that's even worse. Mountain Dew it is! She rose from her chair and went to the island in the middle of her kitchen and poured the sugared soda into her overly large cup.

Taking a sip of the fizzy beverage that tickled the back of her throat, she sighed. This was exactly what she needed to get her back on track. The track of the deadline of her English paper that due was in less than twelve hours. Damn teacher and her impossible assignments!

Katara walked back to her desk and began clicking away on her laptop, the paper had to be done at 11:00 a.m. and if it wasn't there was going to be hell to pay and the devil teacher wouldn't allow any leeway. Not this time.

X0x0x0x0x X0x0x0x0x X0x0x0x0x X0x0x0x0x X0x0x0x0x X0x0x0x0x X0x0x0x0x

The sky was painted black; it had no color, save, the glowing orb and the twinkling lights that punctured the dark blanket. It was a clear night, the kind that he felt uncomfortable in. but it was also the kind that she loved. The kind where the moon rose high in the sky, over his head. It shone bright and blue. Beautiful.

In the courtyard below her window he watched the shadows play in the light. She was busy on her computer again. Always on that damned thing, doing what he assumed was homework, but never asked her. Hell, he could barely talk to her. But when he did, he was smoother than butter, slicker than oil, and hotter than potatoes.

But it seemed that he only got that way around her. When it came to other girls he was a pathetic mess, stumbling over his words, unable to make eye contact, and unsure. But Katara was different always had been always will be. Zuko knew it in his bones that Katara was the one for him. He just had to make her see it that way.

Eventually, he would do it, wouldn't he? Was he too scared to? Was there something else that was stopping him? Was he unsure of the outcome? So many questions, so many uncertainties raced through his head. When he thought he had answered one, another would rear its ugly head and make the decision much worse than it was before.

He made a disgusted noise in the back of his throat, "Grow some balls, fire boy, you got this." And tonight, he decided, was that time to make her see the truth. Make her realize that her fate, her destiny, was entwined with his, no matter how ridiculous he would seem to her.

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He was there in her dreams, she must have fallen asleep. Damn Mountain Dew hadn't worked the way she wanted it to. He was as tall as she had remembered him. As muscled as she could recall. As dangerously gorgeous as she had summoned.

He was coming closer to her, reaching his hand out. Reaching it out to her. He wanted her to come with him and Katara knew she would go without hesitation. She pushed her hand out to him and he grasped it. Tingles of delight snaked their way up her hand, arm and down her spine. She shivered and squirmed beneath his scrutinizing gaze.

"Katara, wake up." His breath was warm on her neck, tickling her. Her spine shook slightly, this dream was almost realistic. "Katara, please wake up. I need to talk to you." He placed his hand on her shoulder and began softly shaking her. Dear Tui and La, she was not dreaming.

She popped her blue eyes open quickly, and saw Zuko standing in her dorm room, his hand still on her shoulder, "Zuko, what are you doing in my dorm? How did you get in?" she was used to his antics, but it still surprised her.

Zuko's lips played into a slow, lazy smile that spoke volume, "You didn't seem to be that upset about me being here while you were whispering my name..." his eyes were smug.

Katara's eyes widened and her mouth straightened, "I was talking in my sleep?" again? How could she have done this again? She stood up swiftly and moved away from him and his nod confirmed his suspicions, "Okay, so what are you doing here?"

His joking manner seemed to have slid away, "Well, here's the thing, I have to tell you something. And before you say it, no it can't wait 'til English tomorrow. If I don't tell you now, I probably won't tell you later. Or at all for the matter." He was speaking rapidly, pacing back and forth in front of her.

"Zuko, you're starting to worry me, can you please tell me what's going on here?"

He swiveled to look at her; "I'm just gonna say it…" hesitation followed his declaration.

Katara stared at him, "So, say it!"

The boy she never wanted to lose gripped her upper arms in his hands, "I love you."

Her breath got caught in her throat; there was no way, she had heard correct, "What?"

"You heard me."

"Seriously?"

He nodded and a grin spread across her face. She threw her arms around his neck, "I love you too." She couldn't believe it. She almost thought she had been dreaming again. She pinched herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming… a slight pain formed in her left forearm, not dreaming.


	4. ZK Christmas

_Katara,_

_Yo eyes are bluer than the ocean ya cherish so deeply. Yo hair is richer than any amount of money that I have gotten from my deals, we won't get into that. Yo skin is deeper than any trouble I have gotten myself into. I know that I may not be the best choice for ya. But I would like the chance to win ya. I wantcha to be my girl this Christmas. meet me at that place with the big tree tomorrow night. 8'oclock. Jet_

The blue eyed woman stared at the little note from her one time date, drug dealing guy, in her blue gloved hands. The night air chilled her to the bone. Tiny white flakes floated down and swirled around her, leaving little wet drops on the flimsy paper. She rolled her eyes skyward, tucked the note in her coat pocket and continued on her way up her driveway, her arms loaded down with shopping bags filled with presents for her niece and nephew. Christmas had always been her favorite time of the year. The lights in the windows on a dark night, made her feel like she was part of something else. Their tiny twinkles made her feel at ease with the world. The hustle and bustle of people only hyped her senses and made her realized that her life wasn't the only one out there. And she couldn't forget the weather.

Winter was her favorite time of the year. She welcomed the chill into her body, feeling it settle in. The cold was something she'd been around her whole life and embraced it to the fullest. The arctic breeze let her know she was alive. Because most people don't usually enjoy it, she knew that meant something. The bitter air wasn't perfect, like her, and as long as things weren't perfect, she knew they were real.A white door came into view through the snow and Katara kicked at it, hoping someone would come to help her with the weight. Though, she shouldn't have been hopeful for it. She knew how long it took any of them to do anything. Ugh, she thought, why can't they just once hurry?

Footsteps could vaguely be heard through the wood and to her relief the door swung open and a fiery red haired woman greeted her. "Katara, where have you been? We were getting worried." Katara mumbled some way of apology and tried to move past her but Suki wouldn't let her. "Do you need some help?" shaking her head, Katara physically pushed her brother's wife out of the way.

"No, I just need to get inside. I have Christmas presents for the kids and would like to start wrapping them as soon as possible, and since the lovely holiday is tomorrow, I'm awfully behind. Actually, yes, help me. Take these and put them in my room, please?" Katara handed off three overly large bags to the other woman. Suki laughed and followed her sister-in-law to her room.

"Jeez, Katara, did you get enough? Or at least finish Christmas shopping?" without warning, the weight of Katara's shopping bags was pulled down by gravity, causing her to fall face first onto the feathered mattress. "Yeah, I'm done now. I just have to wrap these suckers. So please, don't let Baron or Kymi in." Katara started to unpack the presents. By the time she had finished, brightly colored gifts of different shapes and sizes were piled atop the bed.

Suki smiled, Katara loved Christmas even more than her brother did. Possibly even more than the kids did. "Yeah, sure. I'll keep them away from the infamous Auntie Katay. They're going to hate me for this you know that right?" Katara just laughed at Suki's declaration, "Yeah, keep laughing, but when I'm all alone when I'm old and wrinkly, I'm taking it out of your hide." she turned to leave as Katara's laughter rang in her ear, until she remembered something, "Oh this came for you in the mail while you were gone."

Katara looked up from her loot and saw a small envelope in Suki's hand, her name written in calligraphy. She took it with her hands shaking from trepidation. Another note from Jet? Oh, she hoped not. She still didn't know how she was going to deal with the one she had now. "Thanks, Suki. I'll see you downstairs for dinner." the tall woman nodded and left her to her thoughts.

Pushing her silly fears down, Katara turned the letter over and ripped the top off. Her breath caught when she saw who it was from. A nice man she had met during the same speed dating she'd met Jet. His name was Haru. He was a complete sweetheart. A teacher. She read the letter.

_Katara,_

_I know we met just that one time. And I'm sure you don't like strange men randomly writing you, but I cannot stress how important it is to me that you know how much I enjoyed our time together. And would like to know if you would meet me tomorrow night, in the middle of the city. Say sevenish? It would be greatly appreciated, dear. Thank you and Merry Christmas. Deepest Regards, Haru Earthling_

Katara stared at the little note, her breath stuck in her throat. This invitation was much better than that of Jet's. And she definitely wanted to see Haru more than Jet. Dammit, although Jet was an ass she couldn't just bail out on him for the sensitive teacher. Could she? No, she couldn't.

Could she possibly see both these men tomorrow night and get away with it? Well, she'd have to try and find that out. Tucking the note with the other under a sheath of papers on her desk, she began to peel off the price tags from the endless amount of toys.

"Katara! Dinner, is going to be easier than usual. We have a few guests over!" she smiled at the sound of Suki's voice and decided she had to get something extra special for her and her brother. They had taken her in when her house was burnt down by a Fire Nation, more commonly known as, FN, gang. Low life children with nothing better to do. They took away everything from her and for what? Some 'street cred'? Pathetic.

"Suki, who's coming over?" she yelled back down the hall. She listened to the lithe footsteps move up to her room.

Suki stood in front of her with a mixed expression of excitement and unease, "Well, a woman named Toph from work is coming over, she's handicapped and I thought I'd be nice if she had dinner with an actual family. Her parents own the company, but they're not the 'family' type, if you know what I mean. And, you know, only your best friend ever, Aang…" she smiled, probably thinking that her and the bald man had something going on between them. Everyone did, but Katara knew that nothing could ever happen. She just didn't feel anything for him.

Katara looked up at Suki, "Okay, that explains why you have that twinkle in your eye, but that doesn't explain why you have that tightening around your mouth. Who else is coming?" Suki looked uncomfortable and that was enough to tell her that she wasn't going to like what was happening next, "well, you know that Sokka has a bunch of friends all over the city, right?" Katara just nodded, "good, 'cause, he's having… Zuko over..." Nothing could have prepared Katara for Suki's answer. It chilled her more than any cold weather ever had.

Anger welled inside Katara's chest, "Why is he having that filthy pig over? Doesn't he realize who he is?" jumping to her feet, she paced the length of her room. The very thought of having Zuko over made her skin crawl. He was the former leader of the FN gang, just thinking about them made her want to drive 4 inch nails through her eyes, until he found 'hope' and became a peace officer. Personally, Katara didn't believe that bullshit, but there was nothing that proved her right. Sokka had helped him get into the criminal justice program and Zuko had been straight as an arrow ever since.

Suki rested her hands on her friend's shoulders, "Sweetie, I know how much you hate him, but you can't hold it against him forever. He was a kid, he made some mistakes. He didn't do anything to you, personally. You know that was his sister, Azula, not him. It's time to get over it and forgive him." She saw the look in the blue eyes and knew she was a lost cause. With a sigh, she left Katara's room.

Releasing a breath, she hadn't realized she was holding, she threw her closet doors open, a plan devising in her mind. Zuko had been the first responder to the fire that took her whole life away and she knew he had been attracted to her. Tonight, she'd make him really feel it. Tonight, she was going to look her best and make him sorry he'd ever been related to that demon bitch. Katara grinned evilly to herself and began pulling clothes from their hangers.

By the time Katara had finished dressing, Aang Toph, and Zuko had arrived. She smiled at the thought of her best friend. They had been friends since high school and at the age of twenty seven, nothing had changed. Much to his disappointment, but she just didn't feel anything for him. And she tried to, but nothing she did to force the feelings helped. Katara refused to play him the way the demon bitch's best friend, Ty Lee, did at one point. She only hoped Aang found someone soon.

Katara's heeled boots tapped the marble stairs in a slow rhythm, announcing her arrival. She moved her blue eyes round, looking for his familiar face. When she found him he wasn't even looking at her. Instead his stormy grey eyes were focused on a face she hadn't seen before. That must be Toph, she thought. She was pretty in a rough and tumble kind of way. Her black hair was piled on her head in a not so elegant look. Toph was a small girl, but in no way slight. There was an air about her that said she could stand her own, which was odd, considering her eyes were white and milky. She was blind.

As Katara approached Aang, her footing faltered. Circling him and Toph was an electric current so strong it rocked her to her core. Katara couldn't breathe, she was so happy. She had only felt this elated feeling a couple of other times. When she was around her parents before they died and when Sokka brought Suki home for the first time. A grin spread wide on her tanned toned face, Aang and Toph were going to be together for a very long time.

Smiling like an idiot, she touched their arms. Aang finally looked at her, his eyes lighter than she had ever seen them. The other woman looked in her direction, "Hello? My name's Toph, clearly I don't know yours, but I'd like to…" she paused, "Anytime now…"

Katara was floored, the woman seemed so full of life, like her blindness wasn't a problem, but a gift, "Hello, Toph, I'm Katara. Suki's sister-in-law. Aang, I'll see you guys around." With that, Katara took her leave without waiting for a response.

She was still so thrilled over the new couple that she hadn't seen Zuko. Nor had she noticed him when she nearly plowed him over. But what had grabbed her attention was lean, sinewy, strong arms snaked out and wrapped themselves around her waist.

Confused, Katara raised her blue eyes and saw the most beautiful warm whiskey eyes she'd ever seen. There was a danger factor to them that made her shiver. Then she realized why they seemed like they had seen much more than they should ever have. A scar marred his otherwise flawless skin. It covered his entire left eye and ear. It should have scared her, but it intrigued her more than she thought it would have. She released a breath she hadn't noticed she was holding and took a step back.

She took in the face that came with the eyes and felt the blood rush from her cheeks. Zuko. The bastard. Katara had planned on seducing him with her body and anything else she could use, but he had stolen that plan with a one single look.

It was like something out a romance movie. The Christmas music playing softly through the house. The lights that hung all around the room glittered in his eyes. Giving him a mischievous glint. Warmth spread through her body from the heater and feelings of love and happiness from the children consumed her. She was compelled and couldn't tear her gaze away. Damn him. With every ounce of strength she could muster, she held her hand out, "Nice to see you again, Officer Miyagi. Hope all is well with you."

Zuko stared at her, his mind racing. Her deep smoky blue eyes searing into his. And her dark chestnut hair curling around her sun kissed shoulders and falling down her back to touch her powder blue trimmed strapless white dress. She looked good enough to eat. And as he watched her lips part in way of a greeting, he thought he was going to lose it all right there.

He'd always been attracted to this bombshell, but he sensed her unease with him because of his damned sister. Tonight he had planned on changing that. He took her hand in his, "You can call me Zuko, Katara. I'm off duty." he flashed her a smile.

She visibly froze under his scrutinizing look, but regained her composure, "Oh? And here I thought police officers were never off duty…" She raised her eyebrow, challenging him.

She had him there, "Well, I suppose you are right. I'm always on call and I see thing off duty the way I would on duty."

"Really? Stuff like what?" she didn't believe him.

He'd set her straight in no time, "Well, for instance, I know that the bald guy and the blind girl are madly in lust right now and by the end of the night someone's getting luck. It will probably lead to a relationship. Suki's got a secret she's bursting to share with everyone tonight. Sokka's having it rough at work, but is getting a promotion and the kids know there is no Santa Clause." he paused for effect.

Katara raised her hand to her mouth, "Suki's pregnant. I knew it! I hope things will work out for my brother he deserves some happiness. But that's terrible about the kids. Here we thought we were doing so well at keeping up the charade." she turned toward him, "What can you tell about me?"

He got her, "I can see that you want nothing more than to…kiss me under this here mistletoe." her eyes widened and she looked up. Sure enough, a green leafed mistletoe hung above them.

"That is absurd. I would never kis-" Zuko cut her off with a scorching kiss that had her reeling back. Her mind spun from the sensations.

He lifted his head from her, "Hush, Katara, you talk too much." he bent back to her and kissed her again.


	5. ZK Kids

Children

"Sokka! I need a break! These twins are driving me crazy! I just can't do it anymore! You're taking me out tonight. I don't care where or for how long or who watches these kids! BUT I NEED A BREAK!" Sokka winced at every word that came from his lovely wife's, Suki, voice. She didn't sound to pleased and he knew she needed to get out.

"Alright, honey, we'll go out tonight. I'll get my sister and Zuko to baby sit. And I'll take you somewhere special." _At least, I hope we will, _Sokka thought to himself.

Sokka left the twins' room inside the palace that they had been built in the Southern Water Tribe. He crossed the hall to the stairs and descended. Down stairs he was greeted by the bickering of his dear sister Katara and her husband, his best friend Zuko. What, he was sure, started out as a discussion turned into a heated argument. "Hey, guys, can you please stay one more night and baby sit the kids while I take Suki out? She really needs a night to herself."

"I can't stand the sight of you! You make me want to shoots ice crystals into my head!"

"You find me repulsive do you? Well, that comes nowhere close to the way you are revolting with your snotty attitude. What makes you think you can treat people as though you are better! You spoiled child!"

"I'm spoiled? You're a Fire Lord for Tui's sake. If anything you're the spoiled one whose had his life served to him on a silver platter! You know, I thought we had gotten past all this bickering bullshit when we married!"

"I may have been a prince, and am Fire Lord now, but you are now a princess of the Southern Water Tribe and the Fire Lady! And how dare you tell me I've had my life handed to me! It's as if you know nothing about me! Yes, I thought we had too, Katara!" the harsh words were thrown around so effortlessly.

Sokka saw his sister's face turn a red color he'd only ever seen in the Fire Nation. This was not going to end well. Before Katara could retaliate Sokka stepped in, placing a hand on both their shoulders, he yelled, "Hey! Guys! I asked you a question. Can the two of stay one more night before heading back to the Fire Nation. Suki's really exhausted and needs to have a break. I'm going to take her out. But I need someone to watch Baron and Kyla. So, can you two yelling fools watch them?" he dropped his hands and stepped back.

The newly married couple had surprised everyone by just that, getting married. They had only just gotten through some rough patches in their friendship. But Katara and Zuko had insisted that they married. That they had felt a _deep _connection for one another, after they saved each other's lives. Sokka, their father, Toph, Aang and Suki all thought they were being irrational.

Iroh seemed to be the only one who was completely okay with them and their spontaneous wedding. He felt that it meant something deep.

Sokka laughed at that. He was sure the sex between them was good, but whenever they disagreed it was like watching his kids fight over an icicle toy. Sokka did something he never liked doing, he begged, "please guys, I need you to do this. For me." he put a little whine in his voice, hoping to sound pathetic.

Katara could feel her brother's pain emanating from his body. She knew she should have stopped her foolish behavior. She looked to Zuko, asking him a question with her eyes. He nodded his approval. "alright, Sokka, you can count on us to help you with what you need. We'll be there in an hour." she smiled and pushed Sokka up the stairs.

Zuko knew before his wife turned that she was furious. "Katara, before you say anything, I just want to say that I am completely and utterly sorry. I shouldn't have reacted the way I did for the things we were both saying. It was childish and immature. I don't expect you to forgive me, not tonight anyway. But whatever you are thinking or are going to say, just know that you are my life and I shouldn't have torn a thread in my life in such a way. And there is no excuse for such behavior, all I can do is believe that I can make it better later." Zuko went down on his knees and hung his head in shame, his hair hanging in his eyes, obscuring her vision of him.

Katara looked over at her husband, he was a magnificent sight there on his knees with his hair swinging in his eyes. He looked so humble, Katara melted on the spot. But she caught herself before she did something weak. "Zuko, I…" was accepting someone's apology and apologizing herself for behaving the way she did weak? Her initial thought, was yes, it was. It was like giving in. But thought it through, really thought about it. No it wasn't weak at all. In fact, it meant she was strong. It takes a special kind of person to forgive. "I'm sorry, too. I shouldn't have acted that way either. I'll forgive you if you forgive me." she got on her knees as well, took his hands in hers and lifted his head, she bowed her head slightly and pushed her lips to his. He didn't respond, maybe she was wrong. Did he not want to forgive her? She pulled back and started to leave, but he grabbed about her waist and pulled her down again. This time he kissed her with more passion than she thought was possible.

The kiss broke, "Zuko, we gotta get ready for tonight's adventure." she rose and brought Zuko with her. They walked up the stairs holding hands and laughing. If one were to watch them, one would have thought them to be the perfect couple. But those who knew the truth, saw that they had problems and only time would tell if they would make it through a marriage.

"Sokka! They're here, let's go!" Suki was already at the front door waiting to leave. Katara turned to talk to her, but she was outside in the hall. "Sokka! Now! Thanks, Katara and Zuko. It's greatly appreciated." Sokka walked by and nodded his thanks just before Suki grabbed him by the back of his shirt and pulled him out the door.

Before either of them knew it. Zuko and Katara were all alone with twins. Zuko turned toward his wife, "Well, how hard can it be? They're only three months old, what damage could they do?" he smiled widely thinking this job would be easy.

Katara looked back, knowing he must not have had much experience with children, "Zuko, have you ever taken care of a child before?" he shook his head no. She figured as much, "oh, this is going to be much harder than you think it will be."

She picked up the little girl, "Hi, baby, you're so cute, aren't you? Yes, you are. Yes, you are." Katara made kissy faces at Kyla, earning Katara a giggle. She looked both absolutely ridiculous and absolutely adorable.

Zuko crouched down and picked up the little boy and attempting the same display as Katara had done with the girl. Instead of giggling like Kyla, Baron just grumbled and looked like he was frowning. Zuko looked at Katara, asking for help. She just shrugged and went upon her business. He tried one more time, this time he was rewarded with a smile, but only because Baron popped him on the nose with an ice rattle.

Katara laughed and smiled at Zuko, "you know it's a shame we won't be having children." She turned her back to him, knowing he was going to be upset.

Well she was wrong. Dead wrong. He wasn't upset; he was furious, "Excuse me? What do you mean we're not having children? We are in fact having kids. More than just one for that matter." He set Baron down on the couch and stood in front of his wife.

She too set down Kyla with her brother and crossed her arms, "Zuko, why would we need kids? We have one another. And quite frankly, I don't want to play mommy while you're running a country and going on adventures. I'm not that kind of woman. You should know that." She was getting cross

"Katara, what makes you think, you'll be 'playing mommy' while I do whatever it is I'm doing? We're married now. Meaning we are one. Meaning we share the responsibilities with each other. I would never leave you to do something so important on your own. I would never leave to do something on your own at all. Why would you think that of me?" Katara looked away, he seemed genuinely mad about this. "Besides, who will run the Nation when I die?" that question damn near killed thought of a world without Zuko, or something like Zuko, in it was unbearable.

But she had to stand up for what she believed in. "Zuko, I'm sorry, but I am not bearing yours or anyone else's children. I am a strong woman with strong beliefs, and to be honest, I don't know if you'd be such a great dad…" she trailed off when she saw her husband's face turn the color of the most precious flower in the Fire Nation.

Zuko was hurt by this. "You're comparing me to my own father, is that it? You think I will turn out to be like him. How can make such a comparison? You know, maybe you are right and there is a possibility of me being like him, but I know deep down, that I would never do anything to hurt someone I love." His pain and anger was radiating off of him. Katara could feel it and she felt terrible for what she had said. Not only was she being a terrible wife, but also a terrible friend.

Zuko grabbed Baron off the couch and walked into the next room, not wanting to deal with his wife's scrutiny of him any longer. He and the child played for what seemed only like minutes, but what was in reality, hours, before they fell asleep; Baron in the crook of his left arm and Zuko on his side. Both had pleasant dreams. Baron dreamt of toys and penguins. Zuko dreamt of Katara with a child in her arms and her stomach round with another. For both of them their dreams would come true.

Katara had been playing with Kyla for awhile now and Kyla was falling asleep, she decided it was time for bed. Sokka and Suki would be home in minutes. She laid the baby in her crib and set out to find the other babies. She found them in one of the guest room, looking completely picture perfect. What she had said was a mistake, was it not? She didn't truly believe he would be a bad father. The truth of the matter was she thought he would make an excellent father, but she was scared. Scared of what would happen if another war broke out and her child would lose their parents.

It was something she'd always been afraid of. But she couldn't that against Zuko. This was something he was passionate about. She couldn't tell him no because he was scared. She knew that no matter what was wrong with her; Zuko would be there to help her through anything. Especially, something like this, she just needed to tell him.

She kneeled down, "Zu Zu, wake up, my love, Baron needs to go to his own bed, now. Sokka and Suki will be home shortly." She pushed his shoulder gently. He opened his good eye and smiled, as though he didn't remember anything that had happened prior to this.

He stood, picking up Baron as well, "Alright, Katara, let's get him to bed." They left the room and set the sleeping boy next to his sister. Once he was there he curled right next to her and she did the same, sucking their thumbs they drifted into a deeper slumber.

Zuko looked at his wife, "I'm sorry, sweetie, I shouldn't have gone off on you like that. I apologize deeply." He put his arm around Katara's back and pulled her into his side.

She tipped her head up, "No, I'm sorry, the truth is, I'm just scared. Scared that we won't be around to take care of them the way a child should be cared for."

He looked down at her with a glint in his eye, "we won't know until we try."

She nodded and kissed him. "then, yes, Zuko, I want to have your children."

He beamed and swept her off her feet, twirling her around, "Alright, my love, then how about tonight, we start the making process?" he asked in a low whisper, sending chills up her spine. She only murmured her response.

Sokka and Suki finally came home. They walked in the door to see their baby sitters kissing deeply on their couch. "ahem." No response. "Ahem." Still nothing. "AHEM!" that finally got something from them.

Katara and Zuko looked sheepishly up at the couple who just came in, "sorry, we'll be going now. Love you guys, see you whenever you come to visit." Katara pecked a kiss on each of their cheeks. Her and her husband left, seemingly happier than when they came to baby sit. Suki looked at Sokka, but all he could do was shrug.


	6. ZK Love Letters

_**Kalla,**_

_**My sister, I am sending you this message because it holds the way our parents came to be. I remember how you always wanted to know and how they never told you.**_

_**Inside are letters between Mother and Father. Some correspond with each other, but then some do not. I can not find the missing letters, but what I have found make a very interesting story. It seems that even through all the heartache they made it to one another. They found true love.**_

_**Anyway, I hope your adventures as the Avatar are rewarding. Please come home soon safe and sound. **_

_**Deepest Regards, **_

_**Fire Lady Cera, Fire Lord Caiden and Prince Zoku**_

**Katara,**

**I know things started out patchy between us and it seemed like we would never get past that, but I'm glad we did. Because honestly, I can't imagine a world without you… or the others, of course. I also wanted to make sure you knew this since I never got a chance to tell you before you left with Aang. I will forever be grateful to you for saving my life. If it weren't for your bravery I wouldn't be able to run my nation.**

**Anyway, on a more happier note, Uncle is keeping his shop in the Earth Kingdom. He's asked me to tell you and the others of course, that if you ever want tea, his shop will always be open for you…all.**

**Now, I must go, Mai is calling me to meet her family. Hope you are doing well, and of course, the others. Give my regards to Aang, Sokka, Toph, and Suki.**

**Sincerely, **

**Fire Lord Zuko**

**P.S. It's weird without you here telling me what to do.**

**Zuko,**

**It is nice to hear from you. And yes, we are doing very well. Life is good here in the Southern Air Temple for Aang and I, well for the most part anyway. As for Toph she is currently seeing some Earth Kingdom guy, but she has been bouncing from boy to boy trying to find the right one. Sokka and Suki are the only ones who are more stable in their life. How are you and Mai doing since the war ended?**

**As for the early phases in our friendship, I am happy that we got over that too. It would be hard to get through any of the stuff we had to do without knowing you were there to back us up. So for that we thank you. Zuko, do you not realize that you saved my life first? It's was my 'honor', that was my attempt at humor, that would not let me allow you die. Besides, I would not want Mai on my tail about you dying.**

**How kind of him. Please tell him that we would love to stop by and see him. Have you seen him recently? Anyway, I must be off, Aang wants to go for a ride on Appa. Please keep writing, it gives something to look forward to. A letter from a friend I don't see too often.**

**Sincerely,**

**Katara of the Southern Air Temple**

**P.S. I agree, but I'm glad you are doing well on your own.**

**Katara,**

**Good to know that all is well with you…and Aang. Mai and I were doing well, but it's starting to get rough for us. She's acting odd, like she's been moody, and we all know that that in itself is a strange thing. She's also been getting sick lately. It worries me.**

**That's true, I did save your life first, but I'm sure you've told me something along the lines of honor isn't everything. Or was that Uncle? I'm not sure now. But, oh well, **

**Uncle has been visiting every once in awhile, but never long then a couple of days. His life is in Ba Sing Se now, and it is quite sad to see that after my screw ups with him and him accepting me back, he still isn't here to rejoice in the peace that has overcome the Fire Nation. But, I guess it's for the best, at least for him, right? Input on this little matter would help a lot. You've always been good at that. **

**So, tell me Katara, what was the most exciting thing you've done in your recent adventures and where did you go?**

**Sincerely,**

**Zuko of the Fire Nation**

**P.S. I miss you. Hopes that's not too forward.**

**Zuko, **

**Oh, my, that does sound bad. Do you know what she is sick with? Sounds like something the women would get in my village, but I will let you figure that one out on your own.**

**Of course, now you remember what you're told. I suppose I just felt like it was the right thing to do. I don't think I could live with myself if I let you die. How is Iroh doing? I heard his shop was robbed a few days after you sent me your letter. That is terrible. Please let him know if he needs anything we are all there for him. We'd love a real excuse to go see him.**

**I am sorry he's not there with you. I know how much he meant to you and how much a rein peace and kindness is all he ever wanted. He would be so proud of you if he was there. But, yes I do believe that where he is, is where he is supposed to be.**

**Ice skiing in the Northern Water Tribe. How about yourself, Fire Lord Zuko?**

**Sincerely, **

**Katara of the Southern Air Temple**

**P.S. I do believe I miss you more. And no, it wasn't too forward.**

**Katara,**

**Is it weird to think that your letters are the only things that make my days good? **

**Mai left me today. She was in fact pregnant, gave birth to him today. But the only problem was that the child is not mine. The child is Chan's. I don't know if you know who he is, but let me tell you, he is not someone you would like. Then again, I could be wrong. You're one of those people who could find something good in everyone. That's one of those things that I find amazing about you.**

**Maybe we could go see Uncle together one of these days. It'd be nice just to hang out with you. And you're right, he doesn't belong here. I don't think he ever did. I'm not sure if I do anymore.**

**Finding out I wasn't going to be a father to a child whose mother I didn't love anymore is killing me inside. How do you remedy a broken soul?**

**Sincerely,**

**Zuko of the Fire Nation**

**P.S. I'd like to be the father to a child whose mother I do love though.**

**Zuko,**

**Honestly, I don't think it's weird, at least I don't now. I probably would in the beginning, but definitely not now, because it's the same way I feel. I know as soon as I see that messenger hawk soaring in the sky that you're here. At least your words are, and it's good to know that there's someone out there who enjoys my company even if I'm not there physically with them… or him to be more precise.**

**Zuko, that's terrible! Are you okay? Did she tell you why she did it? I don't mean to bring up the past or bug you with rapid questioning, but it's infuriating to hear that she thinks she can do that to you and not have an explanation for it. Especially you, you don't deserve that to happen to you.**

**Oh, that is so sweet of you, but you forgot that I happened to not see the good in you when you first joined us. But you did persist until I did see it in you and that's something I admire about you. Your endless persistence. You even had it when you chased us trying to find Aang.**

**Speaking of Aang, he's gone again. Even after the war ended people out there still need his help. He's never home anymore. I don't know how much longer I'll be able to stand being here in this temple with nothing around me but air and earth. I'm not comfortable here. But I love him so I suppose I'll keep up with it. Isn't that the right thing to do?**

**Sincerely,**

**Katara of the… Southern…**

**P.S. I'm not sure what's right anymore.**

**Katara,**

**I later found out she did it because I wasn't giving her enough attention. In my opinion it's a lie. Once upon a time I loved that girl more than anything else in this world. Hell, she was my world at one point. I had been there for her day in and day out. I don't understand what she meant by it, but I can't change it now. I don't want to change it either.**

**Katara, something's changing in the way I look at things now. Suddenly, colors appear brighter. The meaning of everything seems clearer. The world seems kinder. I don't know if it's because Mai left me or if it's because I can't stop thinking about you. You're like a balm to a wound. Like a secret oasis. My Oasis. I'm sorry my persistence is a nuisance. But, some things need to be persisted. Like you. **

**How long has he been gone? Katay, I'm sorry. I had no idea, he was leaving so frequently. Seems to me we're in the same boat. Kind of. I hope things work out for you. It disturbs me slightly when I know you're unhappy.**

**Your Friend,**

**Zuko**

**P.S. I think it's you who's changing my world.**

**Zuko,**

**How could the Fire Lord not give any woman enough attention to keep her sated and beyond happy? Particularly you. But you're right, we are almost on the same page. Aang, leaves on the weekends to see friends of his in the Fire Nation. I've never met them before and quite frankly I'm a little worried. If he doesn't want to be with me then he should have said something already. I'm talking to him tonight.**

**I know how much you're hurting, but I promise something will come along to make all the pain go away. Something always does. For example, to make me feel better about Aang, I received a letter from… a certain someone who makes me feel something I've never felt before the day I realized everything was going wrong.**

**I know what you mean when you say something inside is changing. Something all around is changing. I also think you're right when you say it's me that's changing you. Because I think you're changing me too. And it feels like it's happening in a good way. I like it. And it's probably more than I should too.**

**Your Best Friend,**

**Katara**

**P.S. I think I want more from us than just letters.**

**Katara,**

**Oasis, I think it's time we met up with each other. It's getting harder just to have letters from you and not have you yourself. The whole in my heart is growing bigger each day I live with just a letter. Just words on paper. Though make no mistake, your words are beautiful, it's just not enough anymore.**

**Katara, I…I… I need you in my arms. I need you here in the Fire Nation. I need you now. I don't know if just a comfort thing or if it's something else. Please let me know what's happening. Either between you and Aang, or just in general.**

**Love,**

**Zuko**

**P.S. I don't think it's a comfort thing**

**Zuko,**

**I couldn't agree with you more. I feel like I need to see you, it's been so long, or I'm gonna go crazy. I feel things going terribly wrong. Aang and I are fighting more and more each day. We pick fights about the littlest things there could possibly be.**

**I miss having your company and just talking, but I do enjoy your letters. They're what keeps me sane in my life. But you're right, it's not enough anymore. I need to feel your Fire Nation warmth surround me. I need to just see you.**

**Love,**

**Katara**

**P.S. When can we meet?**

**Katara,**

**Our meeting last week was incredible. It was good to talk to in person for the first time in awhile. It was even better to share a kiss. I promise I didn't mean for it to happen that way. I wouldn't want to do anything to jeopardize your relationship with Aang. I understand if you don't want to write me again or want see me.**

**But I do just want to let you know, that I do love you. More than I ever did Mai. More than I thought would have been possible. More than it seems believable. I'm sorry for making you feel uncomfortable at all, Katay. I really don't mean to. But I need to know.**

**Forever your's,**

**Zuko**

**P.S. I'm hoping against all things logic that it's me you want.**

**Zuko,**

**Aang and I are no more. It was a mutual agreement I think. He told me it was because I was too distracted by my … whatever it is that's distracting me, what he doesn't know is that you happened to be my distraction. I told him it was his weekly visits to the Fire Nation and him never being here anymore. It turns out that he was going to see Angie, I don't think you know who she is, every weekend.**

**Am I sorry about anything that has happened? No there's no way I could be. No way I'd let myself be. But, Zuko, my Dragon, I do have bad news, this is going to be last letter to you. I can't keep up this cloak and dagger scheme anymore.**

**Forever and Always,**

**Katara, your Oasis**

**P.S. I love you too.**

**P.P.S. I'm coming to be with you forever.**


	7. ZK Titanic

Movie Scene: Titanic

Katara stood in between Aang and Zuko. Stood in between the man she was at one point supposed to marry and the man she had fallen in love with in only a few short days. In between her past and her future. Her loved and her love. Aang had put his coat on her and was trying to keep her close to him. But all she wanted to do was be under Zuko's arm.

Zuko mustarded all he had inside him and let go of the one thing he loved the most in the world, "Katara, go on, I'll get the next one." his heart broke as he said it. But he knew he had to do it, had to let her go so she would survive.

Katara couldn't believe what he was telling her. Why did he want them to be apart? "No, not without you." her voice was filled with tears and determination. She wasn't giving up the only good thing in her life.

Zuko knew she was being stubborn, he both admired her for it and wanted to shake her. Did she not understand that in order for him to go on, she had to live? "I'll be alright. Listen, I'll be fine. I'm a survivor alright. Don't worry about me. Go on, get on."

Aang stepped in and grabbed Katara's arm, "Katara, there's a boat on the other side that's letting men on. Jack and I can catch that one." he was a smooth talking son of a bitch who knew what he was doing. Zuko only hoped that Katara fell for it.

He didn't give Katara a chance to believe it or not, "See?" he said, "I got my own boat to catch." he put truth in his voice and took her arm out of Aang's hand and helped her onto the life boat.

She didn't want to go, he knew it, but she had to. She just had to go. Crew members began lowering the life boat, he watched her descent down the with of the _Titanic _and was aware of the warm tears filling his eyes at the fact that he was not going to see her again.

He looked over at Aang, "There is no boat, is there?" his voice dripped with uncertainty.

Aang looked back, his grey eyes were ice, "No, there is, but you're not getting on." he looked down to Katara with victory. "I always win, Zuko, one way or another."

Zuko just kept looking at Katara with love and pain. This would be the last time he'd lay his eye on her ocean eyes, sun tanned skin and chocolate hair. Last time he would see his beloved. He blew a kiss good bye.

Katara trained her eyes on Zuko only. What was she doing? She couldn't leave him alone on this ship. What if he died? Yes, there was a chance the two of them would still die, but at least they would die together. If he died and she were to live, there was no way in hell, she could still live on. No way her heart would go on. She thought back to the first day she saw him, back to the day she left Aang at the luncheon with her father and friends.

When she saw him on the third floor deck with his drawing book and knew instantly that he would change her life if she let him. And he did. The day she decided she was just going to end her life and jump off the end of the ship, he changed her life, by saving her.

She remembered the feel of his hand against hers as he pulled her over. The way her body fit perfectly with his as they landed on the deck. The fear eating her as they hand cuffed him. She couldn't do this without emotionally killing herself in the process. She had never told him her true feelings for him. He tried to once, but she told him that it wasn't up to him to save her and to just leave her alone.

She had to tell him, couldn't let the unknown go on forever. She knew what she had to do, and without thinking about it she jumped. She jumped right off the boat. She felt the wood leave her feet, felt the air blow around her. Pain shot through Katara's chest and stomach as she hit the edge of the opened window. Using all of her upper body strength, she hoisted herself of the edge and onto the ship. She rolled on the ground and shot up. She had to find Zuko.

Zuko watched in horror as Katara jumped off the little boat and onto the ship. Without thinking, he ran away from Aang and pushed past a throng of people. "Katara!"

"Zuko!" he heard from far away. He called again. His name came back to him as he saw her.

Zuko held Katara close, "You're so stupid, Katara, you know that?"

She just looked up at him, "You jump, I jump, right?"

He looked into her blue eyes and kissed her, never letting go.


	8. Pokemon: Love

Ash Ketchum had finally made back to Cerulean City. He hadn't been here since he first began his journey to become a Pokémon master. And now at 27, he had made his dream come true. There was only one thing that would make his life perfect and that was why he made a special stop here, just to see a certain someone. Now all he had to do was find her.

Looking down at his best friend he spoke with a kind voice, "Let's go Pikachu, we've got people to find, places to go and things to do." He walked the streets searching for her. _Come on, Ketchum. There are only so many places she can be. _Thinking she might be at her beloved gym, Ash started making his way there. But was quickly stopped when he saw a flash a so red it looked orange. That had to be her.

Turning to the direction the bright color came from, he stood facing a small bistro called _Brock's Gourmet Pokéfood_. Ash's eyes widened. No way. Brock didn't become the breeder he wanted? But instead a gourmet chef. And it clearly wasn't just for Pokémon. Many people were seated inside, enjoying dishes made by his once best friend.

He walked into the restaurant admiring the décor and homey feel to the place, music and all. He began toward the front counter, wanting to ask for the chef and owner. But that damned color caught his attention from the corner of his eye. He turned his head sharply to the right. His breath caught in his throat…

_More than you know it, I'm aware; _there she was. The one person he couldn't live without. The reason why he came back to this place. Misty. He had to tell her why he was here. Now.

_Of this connection that we share; _but when he opened his mouth to speak to her, the air in his lungs wouldn't come out. No noise was made from his vocal cords. No words formed on his lips. Nothing happened the way he wanted to. But this was how it always was with her. There was a connection so powerful; it took his air away and nearly knocked him off his feet. There was always a pull that had his gut clenching. His heart sped up just miniscule, but it was enough to make his go body go into overdrive.

_ Yeah, I know it seems like sometimes I don't care; _he finally managed to open his mouth, but the absurd came out, "Misty, is that you?" he knew it was her, but if he came on to her too strongly, she'd freak and run. He'd never shown much interest in her; at least not on the outside. He'd been a careless bastard. Always dissing on her. And he hated that.

_But you are the colors that I wear; _because he knew deep down in his iced over soul, that she was the one he was meant to be with forever and always. He couldn't keep living the way he had been. With Pikachu as his only companion; not that he didn't love him to death, but even the yellow rodent Pokémon had managed to find himself a nice female that he was settling down with.

She looked up from what she was doing, reading the paper and eating a beautifully made meal, and looked directly at him, not recognizing him for a few seconds. But when she did there was a pain so real it stuck him in his heart. Everything he'd ever done or should have done was still fresh in her mind. But it didn't stay there long; she rustled up a ghost of a smile and stood up.

"Ash! I can't believe you're here! It's been almost a decade since I've seen you last! How are you?" Pikachu squeaked loudly, calling attention to himself, "Oh and I see you have Pikachu with you still. How wonderful! No, but seriously, why are you here? Tell me everything! But after, of course, we tell Brock you're in town." Her smile seemed genuine enough and if you hadn't known her, you never would have known she was lying through her perfectly white teeth. Damn, this was going to be harder than he wanted it to be.

_It's been a few hours, nearly dawn; _after putting Pikachu and the other Pokémon in the back where Brock's Pokémon played, Ash took his time recapping story after story to his two greatest friends. It felt great to be back with the only people he was ever really comfortable with. Brock told him how he decided that cooking was better for him and Misty explained that she was still the gym leader and took great pride in it, but never really elaborated on anything else.

_You've been real quiet all along; _it seemed like forever had passed before Brock told him that he had to leave, but he said that he'd let them stay in the restaurant only if they promised to lock up afterward. He paused to look at him and said he hoped he'd get to see Ash before he left again. Ash promised they would get together again. But his mind wasn't on Brock it was on Misty. For the past hour or so, she hadn't spoken.

_Now, I cannot help, but think there's something wrong; _it was so unlike her **not **to talk, that it threw him off. And he knew something was wrong, but didn't know exactly what it was. What would she do if he asked her? Would she lie? Tell the truth? There was only one way to find out.

_Hey, baby, what's going on; _"Hey, sweetheart, is everything okay?" he moved closer to her in the booth they were sharing. But she looked back at him with malice in her eyes.

"Don't give me pet names and act like everything is okay. It's a little ridiculous, don't you think? And slightly painful." Her voice matched the anger in her eyes beautifully. The clock struck six am.

_3 AM, we seemed alright, couldn't be better; _but he couldn't get over the fact that she was angry at him. Not three hours ago, things were going so well.

_On our way into the light; _he was beginning to think that getting her to see that he cared about her was going to be easy, but he could see that it wasn't.

_Now 3 AM is gone; _clearly, he was wrong. She was clamming up again. Hiding away in her shell. Like a creature of the ocean, she so preciously cherished.

_Along with where there's nothing wrong; _the laughs, smiles and jokes of old friends were fading fast into silence, grimaces and harsh words.

_If I had been thoughtless, let me know; _the fact that she snapped made him curious, "Misty, are you angry because of me?" he braced himself for the answer. Hoping it would be no.

_I can take a hint you know; _she shifted her green eyes downward and her silence gave him a few hints that pointed to the opposite direction of his desired destination. She was angry at him, but he wasn't sure why.

_Though, I'm a little slow; _was he just dense for not understanding? There had to be a reason. Yes, she'd always had a temper, but there was always a reason for her outbursts. He had to believe that anyway.

_Just don't keep it in you; _"Well, tell me why? What did I do?" he had to know. He had to make it right. He had to fix his past mistakes to make his perfect future solid. "Please, tell me." Still she didn't say a word. Not one word.

_Lest it take root and grow; _"Sweetheart, you have to tell me. I can't fix it if I don't know what I did. I don't want your anger to harden and take over." His voice was gentle, but he heard an underlying hint of urgency.

She snapped her seaweed eyes to him and she saw all the raw pain that she had been trying to cover up when she first saw him, "You wanna know so badly? You did nothing. That's what's wrong. You did absolutely nothing! You know how I feel about you and I know you felt the same way too. But not once did you say anything, all you did was act callous and distant." Her eyes watered with unshed tears and that broke his heart, "Even when **I **tried to do something, I got pushed away." A single water droplet leaked from her eyes brighter now because she was crying. They were single-handily the most gorgeous pair of eyes he'd ever seen.

_The bottom line here is I love you so; _"I know, Misty, I was a jerk to the extreme. And you of all people shouldn't have had to deal with me like that. I'm sorry."

She looked at him, surprised that he was admitting to everything since he wasn't usually one for admitting his flaws. But she was worth it. "What?"

He smiled happy see was startled, "You heard me, sweetheart. I was wrong. And I just want to say one more thing." He paused, and moved his head closer to hers, his lips inches away from him. He didn't move any further, he wanted her to take the lead. To let him know he wasn't a complete bastard. But damn, it was killing him.

Finally, she moved in for the kiss and his heart exploded with joy at the chaste brush of lips, whispering softly, he said the words he'd been saving for her, "I love you." She pulled back, startled once more, searching his eyes for a lie. But he knew she only saw the truth, because she, too, smiled and kissed him again.

"I love you, too, Ash. I always have."

_Would you dance if I asked you to dance? _The background music was still playing silently. Reluctantly, he lifted himself away from her tantalizing mouth, he pushed out his right hand, "Dance with me, Misty?" she nodded and took his offered hand.

_Would you run and never look back?_ He pulled her close and swayed slowly to the music. What he wouldn't give to stay this way with her always. This is where he belonged. Right here with her in his arms. But he wasn't sure about in this bistro, in this city. He had work to do, could he do it from here? "Sweetheart, if I asked you to come live with me would you go and never regret it?"

She was quiet for a long time, but the answer she gave him wasn't one he wanted to hear, "No."

He knew that's what she was going to say, but it didn't make the hurt any less. He wanted to ask why not, but he knew the reason. Her life was here. Even if she did love him, her life was here in this city with these people with her ocean.

_Would you cry, if you saw me crying? _So, instead, he nodded, but that didn't stop the wave of emotions from crashing over him. He felt the sting of tears, but held them at bay. He had to. Pulling her into the warmth of his body, they continued their synchronized swaying. But stopped when he felt hot wetness soaking through his black T-shirt; she was crying.

_Would you save my soul tonight? _"Misty, sweetheart, tell me what's wrong now?" she shook her head rapidly. He grew scared, scared that she didn't even want to be with him now.

Through hiccupped breath, she gasped out, "I'm sorry, Ash. I love you and want to be with you, but I don't know how to be. You hurt me so bad, and now I'm supposed to believe you've changed? People don't change, Ash, they just grow up. Have you?"

He knew he had, so he nodded.

She smiled faintly, "Help me trust you?"

_Would you tremble if I touched your lips? _Precariously, he whispered his fingertips over his lips. A shiver went through her body. "We'll figure something out. I promise."

_Hold me in your arms tonight? _She nodded, "Ash, will you come back to my place tonight?"

Stunned, Ash stared at the girl he left so long ago. Did she really want this? Was she serious? Or did she just want to make him happy? But as he looked at her, he knew that she wanted this as much as he did. He nodded.

_I can be your hero, baby; _a few moments later, they stood inside her home that was just above the gym. He didn't know how things were going to end up later; all he knew was that for tonight, he was going to try his damnedest to make her want to be with him always. He put her in so much pain and agony, so he was going to fix this and save her.

_I can kiss away the pain; _"Come here, Misty." The demand was low and hungry, but he didn't care. He had to make her see, that he had changed. She came to him and he began kissing her. A slow, lazy kiss that rocked him. Meticulously, he made a trail of kisses down her jaw, throat and lower.

_I will stand by you forever; _"I promise, I won't leave you again unless you want me to. I'll be here forever. I'm not going to make the same mistake twice." He sounded husky even to his own ears. But he didn't care if she could hear the lust in his voice. She needed to know how she affected him.

_You can take my breath away; _their night -morning- was long and languid. They had no need to rush their time together. They only wanted to make it right. Make it the way it should have always been. They had time to make up for.

_Would you swear that you'll always be mine? _As they lay in bed with each other; Misty's red haired head atop his chest, one arm around her shoulders and the other behind in his head in contentment, he remembered why he had chosen to come here within these couple of days. Shifting slightly, he reached down into his jeans pocket and pulled out a box.

"Sweetheart, scoot up and open this." He handed her the box.

She took it cautiously and opened it. Her gasp was barely audible. Inside was a small golden, inscribed ring. "It's beautiful." The praise came out breathy and it sounded like a sweet melody to him.

He took the box from her hand while grabbing her left hand. "It's a promise ring." He pulled out the jewelry and held it up to the light from the sun. The words were simple, _Be My Valentine._

He slipped the ring on her ring finger. "And I promise that I will love you until the end of my time. I promise you won't regret it. I promise you that I will do anything and everything to make you see that. I promise you that nothing will stop me from being with you. I promise you that if things go the way I want them to, I'll be the best husband the world has ever seen. I promise you that I will not leave my clothes all over the floor. I promise you that I will help with cleaning the house and anything else you want. I promise you."

Tears shone in her eyes and a laugh bubbled from her throat. She threw her arms around his neck and snuggled into him. Within minutes both were fast asleep dreaming of what their future held for them.


	9. WallyArtemis: Until You're Mine

_ Look at him. With that stupid smug look on his face that should belong to an angel. With his stupid fiery red hair that was so unreal. With his stupid sea green eyes that sent shivers down a girl's spine. With his stupid freckles that begged to be kissed one by one. With his stupid physique that beckoned anyone with half a brain to run their hands down it. Look at him. Telling stupid jokes that only someone like him would think was funny!_

Gah! Who was she kidding? There was something about Wally West that had her wishing she didn't care so much about her 'reputation' as a bad girl who didn't 'do' feelings. If she were more like Megan, she could be with him. But no, she'd been taught to keep her emotions at bay and people at arm's length away at all times.

So why the hell was she on a team full of people she could potentially care about?

The answer was so far beyond anything she could comprehend.

Not only the answer as to why she was here, but also the answer as to why in the _hell _she thought the speedster was at all attractive.

Rolling her eyes and pushing her emotions in check, she pushed away from her perch near the wall. She needed to get far away from these people as quickly as possible. Disappearing from the room without her team's notice, she slipped into her room.

She had to rid herself of these thoughts about her red headed friend. Hell, they couldn't even be considered friends! They hated each other with a passion so strong it rivaled Super Boy's feelings towards anyone, save Megan of course.

Wally and she fought about everything under the goddamn sun. If there was even a _slight _chance of disagreement, you could bet that Artemis Crock and Wally West would be at it with knives at each other's throats. They couldn't agree on anything. Not a damn thing. Well except the fact that they would never agree. They could always agree on that.

Wait, did that even make sense?

Groaning, she belly flopped onto her bed and buried her head in her pillow. Why was she so messed up? That green eyed idiot couldn't care less if she were alive or not. In his mind she was only one thing: the person who replaced Roy, one of his best friends.

To him she was nothing but a problem, a person to challenge him.

And that was just fine by Artemis. She was sick of feeling like this. She needed to get her head in the game and that meant staying away from that damned idiot.

Smiling to herself over her newfound determination, she flung her arm over her eyes and fell asleep.

YJ YJ YJ

_Look at her. With that stupid emotionless look on her face that should belong to siren. With her stupid golden blonde hair that flowed like water. With her stupid grey blue eyes that sent jolts through a man's body. With her stupid flawless skin that beg to be caressed. With her stupid curved body that beckoned anyone with hormones to run their hands over. Look at her. Sitting against that stupid wall that only someone like her would think is nonchalant._

That is, until she left. He tried not to notice. Honest to God, he did. But when she left the room it was like something went missing from … everything. Nothing seemed right. How pathetic was he? Being into a chick that couldn't stand the sight of him?

Can you say masochist?

"Oh, Wally, you are terribly funny!" M'gann's twinkling voice chimed; bring KF out of his stupor.

"Hey, when you got it, you got it. Am I right?"

"What is it you have?" Megan's confusion was apparent.

"Oh, you know. It." There was no way to describe what he was trying to say.

"…No, I don't know. That is why I asked?"

Wally couldn't come up with any good explanations for what he was trying to convey.

Realization struck in her eyes, "Hellooo, Megan! That's one of those earth sayings isn't it? I got it now." The alien's grin was massive and contagious.

Laughter rang out amongst the circle of teenagers. It was a sort of cliché moment with them all listening to the jokes Wally was spilling in every direction. All of his friends were here. All the ones that mattered anyway.

"Yes, M'gann, that is exactly it." Kald'r's baritone voice vibrated around the circle of teenagers.

The others continued on with their merriment, but Wally couldn't concentrate to save his life. Not even on Megan. The sexy, green alien babe who had his attention wherever she was. No matter what she did or where she went, KF's eyes could be found on her.

But hell, he wasn't entirely stupid. He knew that Megan had a thing for Supey, the big oaf. Though, it gave him slight irritation that he hadn't even been able to turn her head, he had to admit that her and Super Boy did have a special bond that she'd never have with Wally.

Something he wished he could find in someone for himself.

Hah! Who was he kidding? No one would ever care for him that way. The only real 'connection' type thing he'd ever felt for a female was with Artemis. And that was only because they constantly fought and argued. And damn were they good at that.

Real good.

Too good.

Shaking his head of those ridiculous thoughts that led back to a deceitful vixen, he went to the fridge and pulled out something to sate his sweet tooth. Though, the only thing he wanted was strictly off the menu. Yes. She was definitely off the menu. Damn his appetite. Damn it.

YJ YJ YJ

Sweaty, exhausted, bloody and bruised. That's how Artemis returned to Mt. Justice after their last assignment. That and in the arms of Wally as he ran her home. She wanted nothing more than to curl up in her bed or better yet his arms and sleep it off. But she was far too angry to even think about sleeping.

No, what she wanted instead was the head of the speeding moron. Oh yes, nothing would give her more satisfaction than to be able to dismember that fool.

Both heads.

Now she remembered why she hated him. Hated the very air he breathed. Now she remembered why she despised the ground he walked on. Arrogant dipshit thought he was _fast _enough to cause actual damage. _Fast _enough to _save _her. Instead, all he managed to do was get her hurt and shot. _Shot!_

With. A. Stun. Gun.

She couldn't feel her body. Physically, she was numb. The weapon held up its reputation. There was no way she was able to move any part of her.

She was furious.

She was livid.

She was infuriated.

She was… was… something stronger than infuriated that's for sure.

Trying to talk, she quickly realized that whoever shot her must have upped the voltage. Her voice came in what could be identified as a squeak, "I'm going to kill you."

The freckled face geek looked down at her as he set her in her bed with a look of offense, "Excuse me? Kill _me_?" he flattened his hand against his chest, as if assuring himself that she was truly talking about him, "I _saved _you. Why are you going to kill _me_? If it weren't for _me _there'd be no _you. _So, I think maybe some thanks are in order. Not threats."

All she could do was roll her eyes. Though, she did try to make something come from her throat.

"What was that, Artie? You think I'm a big strapping hero who you want to take out in thanks?" he rounded his eyes and pressed his fingers to his lips, "aw, that is so sweet. But I'll have to pass, babe. Bitch ain't my type." With a wink, he bolted from her room.

Heat flamed her face and if she could move she _would _have killed him. Who the hell did he think he was? Coming in here acting as though he had done something for her. Acting as though she would _ever _even _think _about thanking him or taking him out. It was ludicrous.

And as soon as she had her mobility back she was going to show him how much of a bitch she could be. She wasn't going to be insulted with retaliation. Artemis Crock had never been the kinda girl to give in without a fight. So why should she start now?

If Wally West thought she was a bitch before, he wouldn't be expecting what was coming next…

YJ YJ YJ

Anger reared up inside his body. Selfish chick. Who did she think she was, threatening him like he had gotten her shot on purpose? It wasn't his fault, truly it wasn't. Not his fault at all that she was a classic D.I.D. Even M'gann hadn't gotten shot.

Frickin' idiot. He should have just left her there. That would have solved all their problems. No conceited asswipe who would be tearing their team apart. No blonde angel to tempt him. No new archer to replace Roy. It would have been so simple.

He smiled as he thought about the way it would have played out, _"I'm sorry, Batman. I didn't get to her in time. I know I'm the fastest kid alive, but I guess I just wasn't fast enough. I'm so sorry. We'll miss her so much. She was a great part of them team. Gah! I wish I could have saved her!" _Then he'd cry just for good measure. No one would be any the wiser that he just left her there.

Well, no one except Robin. His best friend always knew those kinds of things, but KF was sure in his abilities of persuasion that he could get Robin on his side of the whole thing. And it could have been forgotten.

But NO!

He just _had _to help her out.

Fuckin' blonde bitch.

She was so snotty. Didn't even say 'thank you'. That's all he wanted. A simple, 'hey, thanks for saving my life, Wally!' But that was so unlikely to happen.

He couldn't stand the way she was around everyone. All secretive and shit. Yeah, they were superheroes and yeah, even Robin kept his identity a secret, but damn, she just didn't let anyone in. It was slightly absurd. But hell, that was fine with him. The less he knew about her, the easier it was to hate her.

And he did.

He hated her with every molecule in his being.

The sight of her made him want to throw things. Especially if the object he threw went off course just a little and had the chance of hitting her. Oh the joy that would bring him if he caused her some kind of bodily harm. It was sick really how much happiness that thought brought him.

He was sure Artemis would have something to say to him about what happened earlier and when she came to him, he'd be ready. He was going to lay into her so badly, he could hardly wait. He was _sick _of her bitchin' at him at every turn.

No, this time. He wasn't going to stand for it. Wally West was anything but scared when it came to a certain blonde archer…

YJ YJ YJ

By the time Artemis could move her body, it was a little past dinner time. She dressed in her civvie clothes and left her room on a mission: seek and destroy a speeding soulless ginger.

She found him in the kitchen, big shocker there! Eating cookies, literally, right out of Megan's hand, "Wow, just when I thought you couldn't get any less pathetic. You never cease to amaze me." She crossed her arms under her bust and smirked.

Wally looked up to see the only person who could ruin his day, "I'm glad you finally notice my abilities. I was growing tired of you always staring at me. Now it can stop." He turned to face her, rage slowly growing in the pit of his stomach.

A sharp laugh escaped her throat, "God, if you could only see yourself. Truly, I wish you could. I mean, should we start calling you Rover? I had a friend who's dog's name was Rover. He used to eat out of people's hands all the time. And since you seem so fond of a certain someone, I'm sure Megan will let you be her bitch," she quirked an eyebrow at him, tauntingly.

The speedster saw red clouding his vision, "You know I'm so tired of you always belittling me. Who the hell do you think you are? No, you know what? I'll tell you who you are. A nobody. A second rate, wannabe archer who replaced Roy. The only reason you're here is because you sucked up and pulled some bullshit. Nobody wants you here. We don't need you. Go home."

"Kid Flash! Artemis! Knock it off right now!" Kald'r's command came out strictly, but neither teen listened to him.

Artemis felt something inside break. Some foreign place that she had been pushing away her whole life. She felt it break. His words tugged at her heart. At her soul. He was right. Nobody wanted her here. And she knew it. They knew it.

She was done with this.

Swallowing back offending tears that threatened to spill over, she straightened her posture and pulled her features together, "You're right, Wally. I'm not wanted. I never have been and I never will be. But I'm not leaving. I've _worked _too hard for my spot on this team. And I'll be damned before some ignorant child will push me away from what I've _earned._" She turned on her heel and KF got a mouth full of blonde locks. Methodically, she walked down the hallway to her room and closed her door with a soft snick.

He should feel overjoyed by his triumphant win. He'd gotten her to back down. He'd gotten her to retreat even. But at what cost? Did it even matter? They couldn't stand each other. Maybe there was a reason for that. So why was it that when he thought about the previous argument, he felt a knot forming in the pit of his body?

She looked hurt almost. But that was impossible. She was infallible. Nothing ever got to her. At least nothing he'd ever said to her did. But if that were true, why were there tears forming in the corners of her eyes? Whether he wanted to or not he was going to find out. Because he was damned sure she wasn't about to let this go as quickly as she led him to believe.

YJ YJ YJ

Normally, she wouldn't want to look for trouble in the middle of the night. When everybody was sleeping. But tonight, tonight was an exception. Tonight she purposely walked out her door and searched the entire building looking for one damned oaf.

And she found him.

Only he wasn't inside. Instead, she found him outside, pacing. Or what he considered pacing. A normal person would think he was training for a marathon. It was actually an amusing moment. He was scratching his head, as if in deep concentration. Words that were mumbled and were spewing from his mouth too fast left a vague impression on her.

Letting her eyes adjust to the darkness, she inched closer to him without trying to tip him off about her whereabouts. She desperately wanted to hear what he was saying. Climbing a tree, she slid down a branch and perched there while he blurred beneath her. Holding her breath, she wanted until he came closer and listened.

A few words caught her attention. "Stupid girl… stupid hair… stupid eyes… stupid body… insufferable… hard headed… arrogant… so full of herself…beautiful…brave."

Her ears perked up and jealousy flared up unwanted, who was he talking about? Why did she care? She didn't. She was just concerned that if Wally ever brought this… _person _to Mt. Justice things would go wrong real fast. Yeah, that was it.

"Why…she doesn't…she couldn't…she wouldn't… neither would I. Shut up, Wall-man, it ain't worth it."

The more he spoke, the more she became curious. And curiosity killed the cat.

Well, in this case, curiosity killed the archer.

And luckily, it didn't kill her, it only left sore and embarrassed beyond high hell.

The branch broke beneath her feet. One second she was above the speedster like a tigress hunting, eavesdropping. The next she was in the speedster's arms like a mother carries her child, panting.

She felt his sinewy muscles flex around her body and she yelped when she realized what was going on. She hurriedly tried to scramble out his arms, but quickly discovered he was stronger than he looked. He had a vise like grip around her.

No matter how hard she struggled to get out of the position, the tighter he squeezed, "I would appreciate it if you would let me go. Unless, of course, this is how you like it." She tried like hell to put the petulance that he hated in her voice.

He dropped her instantly and she landed on her ass with a soft thud, "That's disgusting, Artie. I wouldn't touch you willingly with a ten foot pole. You'd have better luck getting me to touch the Grinch than you." He backed away from her as though she had the plague

"Damn, couldn't you have been a little bit gentler? I'm still bruised from the last time you were around me."

His eyes grew dark, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"What do you think it means, dumbass?" Artemis rose from her position in the grass and faced him.

"Do you seriously blame me for you getting shot?" he took a step closer.

She put her hands on her hips firmly, in a 'don't-mess-with-me' fashion, "Um, yeah, I do. If you hadn't gotten in the way, I wouldn't have been shot. Plain and simple."

"You are so full of shit! I did nothing but help your ass!" he talked with his hands, crazily.

"Hah! You are so unbelievable. Do you really think I'd _ever _need _your _help?" Artemis took another step toward him.

"Baby, I don't think it. I know it." He was in her face now. Both with faces blaring with heat and tempers in an uproar.

"Arrogant dipshit!" she poked him hard in the chest.

"Conceited asswipe!" he shoved her back just a little.

"Freckled face geek!" she shoved him back just a little bit _harder._

"Selfish chick!" he poked her hard_er_ in the shoulder.

"Speeding moron!" she punched him in the gut, causing him to double over.

"Blonde bitch!" he kicked the back of her leg and she fell to her knees

"Green eyed idiot!" she pushed his chest with the palms of her hands and watched him fall to the ground.

"Deceitful vixen!" he wrapped his legs around her waist and brought her to the ground.

"I HATE YOU!" The shout happened simultaneously before a full out brawl occurred.

Artemis rolled away from him before springing up. She cursed herself when she realized she didn't have her quiver or bow on her. Hell, she didn't have anything on her since she was in her civilian clothes. Goddammit! Of all the rotten luck! Calming down, she reassured herself that she was still exceptionally skilled in hand-to-hand combat as well.

But she was nowhere near as fast as the speeding shadow that was coming straight for her. She dodged it as best she could and still managed to get knocked back down. She could feel a fat bruise forming on the back of her thigh, but didn't have time to analyze it.

Wally was coming at her again, this time he seemed to be going faster.

An idea planted. The kid was terrible with stopping. She could trip him and he'd be on the ground. And grappling was one of Artemis's specialties.

Grinning like the cat that ate the canary, she stood to meet KF face to face. He was coming at break neck speed and a niggling of doubt began to eat at the back of her mind. _Chill out, Artemis. What's the worst that could happen is this didn't work?_ She'd fall and break at least a couple of bones that was the best of what could happen if this didn't work. The worst though? It wasn't something she liked to dwell on.

She felt the air stir around her. KF was coming. Digging her feet into the ground, she stood her stance and didn't back down. _Just a few more feet, Wally. Come on, come a little closer_. She could just barely make out his face and saw he was smiling. He thought he won this one.

Well, she was just going to have to burst his bubble. She feigned fear as he came closer and stood immobile, only to side step last minute. She placed her right foot out in front of him and the Kid Flash went sprawling over the grass.

Artemis laughed loud and long, and the sound did something to his stomach, "You really aren't good with stopping are you?"

Flipping onto his back, Wally stared up at her, surprised when he saw her diving on him. With a fierce punch to his jaw, he spun over until he was on top of her. She squirmed beneath him and he had a sudden sense of power; of dominance.

"So, this is what it's like to be Alpha? I see why you like it so much."

A gleam flashed in her eyes, and became conscious of his crucial mistake. He admitted that she was the more dominant of the two. The strongest. The most powerful. Dammit all to hell and back.

"Yeah, it's nice. Too bad you won't know what it's like for long."

Confusion rode Wally's face just before she reached her legs up and wrapped them around his torso. She swung them back, causing him to fall backward. Leaving Artemis on top. Fuck.

She swung again at his face, but he blocked it this time, using her own momentum against her, she accidently caught herself in the jaw. "Sonofa-" her curse was cut short as she spit blood from her mouth.

Not giving her a chance to retaliate, he tried to get out from under her, but soon understood that Artemis not only had strong arms, hands and body. But also had strong legs. There was no way he was getting out of this. None whatsoever. She had her knees placed firmly on his wrists and his face was nestled between her thighs. If she were M'gann, he would have been reveling in the situation.

No, no that's not true. If she were M'gann, this wouldn't have happened in the first place. They wouldn't have been dueling out pent up anger and frustration. They wouldn't have been battling each other's strength and smarts. They would have been baking cookies or some other pastry.

No, if Artemis was anyone but herself, he would have been _hating _the position he was in. But because it was the blonde girl above, he was dying for more.

She leaned over him, catching her breath. Unaware that she was giving him a nice peek of the tops of her breasts as she breathed heavily.

Wally started to feel his body coming to life in a way that nothing to do with fighting.

Artemis hated the taste of blood. It was disgusting. But what wasn't disgusting was the ginger beneath her. In fact, he felt delicious between her legs. And she could only imagine what he would feel like if neither of them were wearing clothes…

_Whoa! Hold on there, sex fiend. This is Wally we're talking about. You know 'I'm-so-cool-but-I'm-a-total-prick-as-well Wally. You do remember that, correct?_

_Of course, I do. I'm just tired is all. Yeah, tired. That's it. Tired._

But when he looked up at her with half hooded eyes, she didn't believe herself anymore.

Still breathing heavily, Wally leaned his head up and captured her lips with his. She lost all coherent thought after that.

He managed to untangle himself from her mile long legs and pinned her under him, not once breaking the kiss. He splayed his fingers on both sides of her face, not letting her take control for once. He could feel her smiling into his mouth and he slid his tongue over her bottom lip, hoping to gain entrance. And for a few seconds, he thought he was going to get rejected. Until she opened her mouth with so much ferocity he felt like she was in dire need of air and he was the only oxygen molecule around.

Wally had kissed a couple of girls before, but none of them had ever been like the kiss with Artemis. With the other girls, it started out slow, almost boring and then gradually get more… exciting? But with this spit fire it started out intense and it only _grew _into hunger. Not once did it seem as though he would grow tired of kissing the blonde.

Artemis lifted her arms and wrapped them around his neck, she plunged her fingers in to the mess of red hair and pulled at the strands whenever the desire was too much for her to control internally. She nipped at his bottom lip, ripping a moan from deep in his throat. Wanting, needing, _demanding _more from him. His slick tongue stroked hers. She held it between her teeth and swirled her tongue around it slowly, sensually.

Another moan erupted from the speedster's throat and Artemis felt her body reacting to his touch. He pulled his hands away from her face and encircled her back. With movements too fast for her to even think about seeing, he twisted them around.

She groaned when she felt his erection pressing heavily against her. He trailed his fingers down his back to the skin that was left exposed by her rising tank top. He traced lazy circles around the sensitive skin and shivers shot through her. She rolled her body in time with his movements.

An animalistic growl tore from Wally's throat and he sat up, making sure she stayed in his lap. He moved his lips away from her and shadowed them down her white throat. With noise that sounded vaguely like a squeak she squeezed him between her thighs.

He slowly pressed her body tighter to his. He'd never tasted anything sweeter, more satisfying than her lips on his, than her tongue dancing with his. He sucked gently. Then let it continue into he felt like he was trying to engorge upon her mouth.

Instinctively, he pressed his hips into hers and was thrilled when he felt her thrust herself against him. She grabbed at his fingers and led them to her shirt. Taking the hint, he slipped his hand under the fabric. The soft, welcoming flesh was enough to give him shivers, his fingertips dug in her hips as a thrill slithered up his spine.

He took his time walking his calloused fingers up her ribcage until he found her hardened nipple. She arched her back in response. Unable to stand it, Wally dipped his mouth to the breast that was still encased in her bra and white shirt. Her reaction came in short breathy moans and that only spurred him on.

Wanting more, he peeled away her jacket and started to pull off the tank top when she dug her nails into his skin. In a 'hey-you-should-stop-we-may-be-caught' kinda way instead of the 'ohmigawd-you're-so-sexy' way. He stilled and looked in the direction she was pointing out.

The sun was starting to rise, but that wasn't what gave Artemis pause. No, what she was staring at was another couple of people stealing kisses in the wee hours of the morning. Conner and Megan were against the wall of the training room.

And for some unfathomable reason, that was funny to them. They couldn't hold in their peals of laughter as they watched the young couple make out furiously. Wally couldn't help but ask, "Is that what we look like?"

A smile still planted on her face- she was far more beautiful when she smiled- she just shrugged, "I can only assume so. But let me say, Super Boy is _much _hotter than you are."

He scoffed at her, "Yeah, well, M'gann's got you beat any day of the week."

Their laughter died off into a silence so discomfited, even KF was uncomfortable. Artemis disengaged herself from him and clambered to her feet with Wally right after her and an awkward question to follow, "So, uh, what do we do now?"

A thousands question buzzed in his head, were they a couple now? Did he have to stop hating her? Did she like him? Did she like what they did? Was it, was _he_ good enough? He didn't really want to be a couple with anyone. Fighting with her was far more fun to give up. It was clear they had a thing for each other, but did they have to be public with it all?

She looked away from him as she put her jacket back on, "Well, to be honest, I enjoyed myself. Did you?"

He nodded his head, curious as to where she was taking this.

"Okay, good. And if we were to, you know, tell the others about this, things might be… weird… around them, right?"

He nodded again.

Uncertainty clouded her eyes, "Yeah, and besides, we have so much fun fighting. So why don't we keep this to ourselves and continue it?"

A breath of relief fled from his lungs, "that sounds perfect to me… but I have another question for you. How do we sneak in without getting caught by the love birds, our fearless leader and bird boy?"

The slyest fox would have been proud of the smile that crept onto Artemis's face, "Simple."

Before Wally could ask what she meant by that, she slugged him across the jaw. Again.

"I swear you are the most annoying species of animal to ever walk this planet!" with a look of aggravation she stomped off in the other direction.

His head swimming, he searched for a proper comeback. "I'd rather be an animal than you! Animals don't lie, or cheat. They're far more honest and real than you'll ever be!" he ran back to his room, hiding his smile the entire time from the kissing couple.

YJ YJ YJ

The following few months between the archer and speeder went a little something like this…

DAY:

"Hey, strike out again? When are you gonna get it? If an alien doesn't want you, then no human will either." Artemis hummed after Wally failed at getting a girl's number.

Artemis tapped Wally on the shoulder and he turned quickly, "Oh, sorry, backstabber, didn't see you there." Wally turned back to his companion, "Hey, Robin, can you check my back, I'd like to know if there's a knife buried back there."

NIGHT:

"Oh, oh, God, Wally that feels amazing! Ahh, please, more!" Artemis writhed beneath Wally's body, begging.

"Artemis, c'mon, quite teasing. I need it. I need it. God, I _need_ it!" he stretched his arm up trying to reach the gaming controller from the archer who sat on one the corner shelves.

DAY:

"Hey, Artie, wanna come chill out with us in the park… oh wait, never mind I forgot, little kids hate you. What do you they're scared of most about you? You're hair or your face?" he flipped his hand between the two features in question.

"Damn, Robin, look at that girl." She pointed out a girl with ethereal green eyes and bright red hair. "She's hot, you should totally go talk to her." She grabbed the back of Wally's shirt as he tried to go after the chick, "Tsk, tsk, not you Wally. That one-over there- no not that one. Yeah, that one." She pointed out a man throwing a garbage can into his truck, "She's your type. Oh, don't look so offended. I saw the garbage man checking you out a lot earlier."

NIGHT:

"So, Wally, what do you want to do with your life? I mean do you want to continue doing superheroism?" she laid snuggled up into his side, after spending the night under the covers.

"Babe, are you sure you want do this? I don't want you to do anything you're not ready for." Wally placed his hands on Artemis's jaw as she kneeled before him.

Almost three months passed before Artemis's thoughts about them turned serious. What if, just what if they could be something more?


	10. WallyArtemis: Until You're Mine: Secret

Sunshine. Fire.

Stormy sea. Grassy field.

Silk. Steel.

Clawing. Biting.

Giving. Receiving.

Receiving. Giving.

Wanting. Needing.

Taking. Having.

Loving. Hating.

Hating. Loving.

Night. Day.

Artemis. Wally.

More months passed with the two entangled with each other. The days were growing shorter with more arguments. The nights growing longer with more sleepless rendezvous. Both were content with their agreement. Both desired to have more from the other. But neither would admit it to the other.

"I need this so muckin' fuch." Wally groaned out the words huskily.

Artemis looked up at the speedster with bemusement written over her smooth features, "You need what so _whaaaat?_"

"You know like, 'fucking much'. But 'mucking fuch.'" He spoke the words as if she were an idiot and he a genius.

A smile slipped its way to her face, "Are you trying to do that thing that Robin does with words?"

"Well, yeah, I guess, in a way I kinda am." He pushed himself up with his hands and rolled away from her.

She barked a laugh, "I think you should leave that to the bird."

"You don't think I'm good enough to do it?" his face portrayed his wounded pride.

She crawled on her knees to him on the edge of the bed, "I didn't say that. But now that you mention it, you do kind of lack the …creativity… it takes to do that." she laid her fingers across his shoulders, gliding her nails over his skin.

Wally jumped up and away from her touch completely at ease with his nudity, "I'm just as creative as he is!"

"Ooh someone's getting testy…" she made a tsk tsk sound and tried to pull him back to her.

But he wouldn't get in her reach, "What's that supposed to mean?"

She gave him a droll stare, "Well, I'm not a dictionary but, by definition testy means irritably impatient or touchy… so, I think that means you're being angry."

He thrust his hands on his hips in a typical superhero pose, "That's not what I meant, Artie!"

"I'm just saying you should leave the word play to Robin." She got up from her seat, tired of playing this game.

"Why? I can do it just fine."

"I don't think so."

"Bu…but, I can." He stuttered the words trying to make her see the truth in what he could do.

She slapped her hand over his mouth, "Oh, there are other things you're much better at. I don't want to argue now. We'll save that for when we have to yell and scream, alright?"

Nodding, he swept her up, bridal style, and carried her back to his bed, "We have some time before morning comes and we have to join the rest of the team."

She pulled his head down to hers, laying her cheek against his, she whispered, "Let's use it wisely, sugar."

YJ YJ YJ

_Ugh, what to do today? Batman doesn't have any new missions for us and who knows when he will. Superboy's too moody for me right now. Megan… is Megan… I don't want to think about Kaldur and his 'leadership'. Artemis… don't wanna even go near that. Wally! I know I can go chill with Wally. Haven't seen him in a long time… _

To say Robin was _walking _down the halls was an understatement. He could no more simply walk than Megan could no more bake non-burnt food. He glided, his feet barely touching the ground. Swift and deadly is how he always walked whether he meant to or not. Batman taught him his 'ninja' skills and he had no intention of wasting them. Ever.

The halls were quiet. Too quiet for the junior detective's taste. _What wrong could happen in Mount Justice?_

A giggle sounded to his right.

Apparently, a lot of wrong could happen.

Nosy being his favorite pastime, well that and anything that involved pranking. Especially, when it came to the Dark Knight. He was too easy.

Chuckling softly to himself, he veered off his path to the door that led to KF's room. He noticed it cracked just a little. It was just enough for a sneaky bird to see look into and listen to secrets.

Crouching low, he peeked his shaded eyes through the crack. Inside the speedster's room was the oddest sight he'd ever thought he'd see. In the center of the room stood Wally, but that wasn't what was strange. Oh, no, what was too strange for Robin was the fact that standing on the tops of his feet was the blonde archer. They swayed back and forth to a beat that played in the background… About frickin' time! The team didn't think they'd ever get together.

He listened harder, trying to make out the beat. "_I feel so unsure as I take your hand and lead you to the dance floor. As the music dies, something in your eyes calls to mind a silver screen and all those sad goodbyes.__  
__I'm never gonna dance again cause guilty feet have got no rhythm. So I'm never gonna dance again the way I danced with you." _The song was recognizable, but he couldn't place it. Where had he heard it before?

He watched Wally wrap his arm around Artemis's waist and waltz around the room. The sight stirred up something in his chest, but he couldn't identify it. Didn't want to identify it. Instead, he focused his eyes on the couple dancing.

"_Tonight the music seems so loud I wish that we could lose the crowd. Maybe it's better this way.__  
__We'd hurt each other with the things we want to say. We could have been so good together. We could have lived this dance forever. But now who's gonna dance with me? Please stay."_

He heard Wally singing in Artemis's ear and both their eyes were sad… but why? They seemed to be enjoying themselves. And it's not like the team hadn't seen this coming. Hell, they all wanted it to happen. Needed it to happen for their sanity. But why would they be sad about it? And why didn't they tell the rest of the team?

One thing was for sure. He had some hot, top notch gossip for the rest of the guys. With one last glance, he sprinted down the hall to the common room.

YJ YJ YJ

Artemis closed her eyes and laid her head on his chest as he swung them around slowly. His voice rolled through her chest, sending small shivers over her skin… the song was beautiful, dark and sad. But beautiful. Kind of like their relationship. The song really did match the way they felt for each other. Too well, in her opinion.

Secretly, deep in her heart, she wanted to tell everyone that he was hers and she his. But she seriously doubted that Wally would go for that. And that saddened her painfully. Was she that much of an embarrassment? Yeah, they fought, but every couple did. Then again, they couldn't really be considered a couple.

Couples actually went out and showed each other off. They didn't have secret meetings where they whispered sweet, sweet nothings to each other. They didn't hide their feelings for each other from everyone, even themselves. But that begged the question: did she have feelings for the male holding her?

Doubt clouded her thoughts until he twirled her around and dipped her. It hit her then. Yeah, she did have feelings for him. Stronger than just lust and desire. No, that was ludicrous. She couldn't make this into something it's not. She would only hurt herself in the end and she was done with being hurt. Hurting was for the weak. And she was anything but weak.

Wally peered down at the girl standing on his feet as they moved clumsily across his floor. She was something else. She awoke feelings inside him that he'd never thought he'd feel. But he could never tell her. She'd never accept him in that way. He was lucky she accepted him into her body. He'd never get into her heart, though. She'd make damn sure of that, he knew.

But he often wondered why they couldn't just go out in the common room and yell at the top of their lungs that they liked each other? It had been her idea to keep their 'relationship' hidden and he had greedily gone along with it because he still thought he had a chance with Megan. Not to mention he was just excited he was getting some.

Was he that shallow? What about her? Why did she want to keep them a secret? He wanted to tell everyone about them. He wanted to shout to the heavens that he was the luckiest guy in the world, but that would mean losing Artemis. And he couldn't comprehend that.

All he had was right now. Was this moment and all the other secret moments they would have. But was it enough?

It had to be.

The other option wasn't fallible to him.

YJ YJ YJ

The common room. A place for everyone to gather and communicate. A place for everyone to live harmoniously. A place where Kaldur rested his head against the couch thinking of a beautiful girl. A place where Megan and Superboy sat on opposite ends of the couch stealing glances at each other and harboring a secret. A perfect place to gossip and devise a plan to get the two heroes together.

"Guys! I have news and man, oh, man, is it good news!" Robin's boisterous voice rang through the room, causing Kaldur to jump, Megan to scream and Superboy to… well, be all Superboy-ish.

The Atlantean faced the small child, "Robin, what is it? Is something wrong?"

The smile that was plastered to the boy's face could only be described as infectious, "No, not all. You'll never believe what I just saw!"

Superboy rose from his seat and towered over the smaller kid, "If we're not going to believe it why are you going to tell us?"

Robin just stared at him, "That's beside the point. The point is, our very own Wally West and Artemis Crock having significant others…" he trailed off and waggled his brows.

Kaldur rolled his eyes, "Great, now they'll be insulting each other's loved ones. More things to argue about."

Robin whirled on him, "I don't think you're getting it."

"What am I supposed to be getting?"

"Ugh, you guys are oblivious. Don't you ever realize how KF and Artie are always at each other's throats?"

Megan laughed, "Uh, duh. They really just need to date and get it over with."

"My thoughts exactly, Megan."

"Wait, so what are you trying to tell us?"

"Spit it out,"

"Well, you know how it's always quiet at night? There's no arguing or yelling or throwing things. It's eerily quiet." Robin started pacing in front of them.

The other three nodded eagerly, "Yeah, okay… and?"

"That's because KF and Artemis aren't trying to kill one another." His pacing grew in tempo.

"And…?"

His steps grew smaller, staccato-ing in time to a rhythm in his head. He began to mumble something that not even Superboy's super hearing could pick up. Finally, the clone grew angry for having to wait too long. He stopped the bird with large hands on his shoulders and picked him by his shirt.

"Either say it or go away." He growled angrily.

Robin was torn between being scared of the overly large boy and wanting to show him up, but he decided that telling everyone was a good enough of a reason to not get hurt, "!"

The room went silent. Dead silent. So quiet the soft music from the speedster's room seemed to be blaring out their eardrums. Megan felt as though her heart had stopped beating. Superboy didn't really quite understand what was going on. Kaldur knew this moment would come, but he was still sketchy.

He was the first one to break the silence, "Are you sure about this Robin?"

The Boy Wonder gave him a duh stare, "As sure as I am that if Supey here doesn't let me go, I will hurt him."

Not wanting to start a fight, Superboy dropped Robin, but the little bird landed deftly on his feet. "Thank you, dear friend, I always enjoy flying."

Superboy growled again.

Kaldur, always the referee stopped the boys, "Knock it off. We need to find out if this really happening or not."

"You calling me a liar?"

"I'm not calling anyone anything. I'm saying, we need proof, before we confront them."

"I can get proof. We can all get proof. It'll be easy. We take pictures and video. When they're not around us is when they're with each other, I'm sure of it. We just need to pay more attention to when they aren't yelling. Shouldn't be that hard. Man, oh, man, this is gonna be good!" Robin laughed like a child raised by Hades himself.

"Hold on, Robin. We all need to be in on this." Kaldur the other two, "Are you guys willing to help?"

Megan looked uncomfortable and Superboy looked confused. But they both nodded begrudgingly.

"Alright, it's settled then. Tonight, we search for evidence between Artemis and Wally."

YJ YJ YJ

Megan and Connor walked through the darkened corridor that held the bedrooms. She slipped her hand in his and couldn't help but smile when she felt his warm skin pressed against hers. But her thoughts were clouded by something that wouldn't let her be entirely happy.

She turned to the blue eyed boy she started having strong emotional feelings for, "Connor, we shouldn't be doing this."

He twisted his head to her, revealing confused icicles, "Doing what?"

She bowed her head ashamed of what they were doing to friends, "Spying and Artemis and Wally."

"Why not?" he asked as he lifted her head with his fingertips.

She looked intently into his eyes, "Well, would you like it if someone did this to us?"

"Do what? We're not hiding. They are. And by hiding, they do not trust us. And a team without a trust is a dead one. Call me crazy, but I'd like to stay alive for as long as possible." His voice held so much conviction; she almost forgot why she was talking about this.

But her shame came back to her tenfold as did anger, "What do you mean we're not hiding? Not once have you said anything to anyone about the way we are with each other."

He shook his full head of black hair, "I didn't think I had to. We're not quite as sneaky as the other two are."

"Why didn't you say anything to _me _about telling everyone?" she patted her chest, adding emphasis.

He splayed his hands out, talking with them, "I thought you knew, M'gann. It only seemed obvious that you would know."

"Yeah, well I didn't." she crossed her arms over her chest.

Laying his hands on her small shoulders, he pulled her into his wide chest, "Whoa, there's no need to get angry."

She stiffened, "I'm not getting angry."

His voice rumbled with laughter, "Believe me, you are. I know that emotion all too well."

She peered her round eyes up at him, "Well, maybe I was just a little, but I really wished you had said something to me. Maybe we should tell the rest of the team. They deserve to know, especially after this thing with Wally and Artemis."

He smiled down at her, "If that's what you want."

Her own smile graced her lips, "It is,"

She began to rise on tiptoes to give him a kiss when he pulled her behind a wall. When she opened her mouth to ask him what he was doing, he smashed one finger against her lips, "Shhh," he pointed toward the end of the hallway where Wally and Artemis were walking, hand in hand.

Without out a seconds notice, she shoved him against the wall and rose on her tiptoes to kiss him. They watched as Wally's hands began to move down the archer's back and down to her supple buttocks. He pressed her hips into his and she only reacted.

Connor turned wide eyes to Megan. There was the proof, but neither was going to take pictures of such an intimate moment. Superboy hooked his thumb in the direction of another corridor so they could escape. She nodded and they started to leave, but the clone let loose a sneeze so loud it rattled the doors.

"What was that?" Wally asked from down the other hall.

"I don't know, but we better get out of here."

Footsteps came towards them and Megan used her abilities to put them under invisibility. They watched the red head and the blonde move quickly towards their own bedrooms. When they passed, Megan dropped the shield and turned to Superboy.

"Really?" was all she could say.

He just shrugged adorably.

YJ YJ YJ

Kaldur knew what was going on between the two heroes, even without proof. He really just wanted to see who would spy on their teammates. Hopefully, none would be as cruel to do so, but he had a feeling that Robin was more than willing to do something like this. It was right up his alley. Not that there was anything wrong with that. He just hoped that the boy would learn before he took over as leader.

The night was sweetly quiet as he lay in his bed, waiting for sleep to overcome him. And due to bright laughter, it never did. He dragged his body out of his warm bed and walked over to where the noise came from. Artemis's room. What she laughing about?

He starting walking toward her room, but he caught himself. He would not spy on his teammates or his friends. He wouldn't.

At least that's what he would have liked to think, but curiosity got the better of him. He tiptoed to her door and listened…

"Wally, I'm bored with video games. We only ever have a few shorts hours to be together. And most of the time it's spent sleeping. Can we please do something that we both enjoy? I just want to be with you." The archer's husky voice swam to his ears.

"Artie, I'm tired with sex. We only ever have a few short hours to be together. And most of the time it's spent sleeping. Can we please do something that doesn't involve being naked? I just want to be with you." The speedster's low voice trailed in behind hers.

"You don't want to have sex anymore?"

"That's not what I meant and you know it. Quite trying to pick fights. You've been doing that more and more lately. I just want to spend time with you. Why can't we just lay here and let me hold you? What are you scared of?"

"I'm not scared of anything. Don't accuse me of anything like that!"

Hah, and Robin thought that because they were sneaking around their arguments had ceased. They never would.

"You're picking fights again…" Wally sung out the accusation.

"I know and I'm sorry, I just… I want… I want to te… never mind. I'm sorry. We can play video games." The Atlantean watched as she uncrossed her arms and move back to the T.V.

Wally's eyes grew suspicious, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on a sec, turbo. I don't think so. What were you going to say?"

"Nothing."

"C'mon, you can tell me anything. I'll always support you."

"Will you, Wally? Will you really? What I'm thinking about you wouldn't want to have any part of. So don't worry, our little secret is safe."

"What are you talking about?"

"Never mind, can we please drop it?"

"Yeah, we can drop it. I'm sleeping in my own bed tonight, Artie. I'll see you in the morning when the venom you're feeling right now will be put to good use."

Kaldur ran back to his room as KF hustled from her room to his own. Something was wrong here, and it wasn't their secret. Artemis had something to tell Kid Flash and she was scared of its consequence…


	11. WallyArtemis: Until You're Mine: Date

Artemis woke up to the sound of Megan half screaming half laughing in her face, "Wake up! We're going to play a game." The alien's face was lit up with utter joy and it made her want to smack the smile right off the green skinned girl.

"I don't want to play a game right now, Megs. Maybe later." Her voice was groggy from sleep and she wanted to go back to her world where she and Wally didn't have to hide.

"No! Not later! Now. We must!"

"M'gann, I'm giving you five seconds to leave before I unleash hell. I will play a game with you guys tonight, alright?" the blonde turned over to her stomach and threw the covers over her head.

"Yeah, sure, Artemis. I just wanted you to feel like you belonged with us." The raw sadness in the Martian's voice made Artemis stop and look up at her.

Groaning she shoved the blankets off her body and stopped the other girl from leaving, "Wait, Megan, I'm sorry. The gesture was nice and I appreciate it. Really, I do. I just … have a lot on my mind right now. And I don't know how to… get rid of it… I guess would be the right way to say that."

"If you want, you could talk to me. I'm a fantastic listener!" Megan's nightgown swirled around her legs as she grabbed the pale skinned girl's hand and pulled her back toward the bed.

Befuddled, Artemis just looked at her like a fish, her mouth opening and closing, "Uh, whoa, uh, I don't think that's what I was implying… really, I'm okay."

She tried to get up from the bed, yet again, but Megan wouldn't let go of her, "Please, just tell me what's bothering you. I know it will help."

Artemis stared down into Megan's brown eyes, thinking about the consequences of talking to Megan about her … situation with Wally. What would she say? What would he say? What would happen? She didn't want to ruin anything by confiding… but she wasn't one to dwell.

No, she was the type of girl who dealt with things as they came at her. And that's exactly what she would do if talking to Megan would backfire. Deal with it.

Adjusting her green booty shorts, she plopped back on the bed and faced her companion, "Alright, what I'm about to tell you is highly classified, I mean more classified than anything Batman could ever come across. Got it?"

Megan nodded eagerly.

"Gah, okay, here it is," She took a deep breath before pressing on in a hurry, WallyandIhavebeenhookingup 'tthinkhe'dgoforitall." When she was done she pushed out her air in a long suffering breath.

Megan stared at her friend with wide eyes and gaping mouth, "Are you serious?" She smacked herself in the forehead, "Helloooo, Megan, of course you guys are. That makes so much more sense now." She squealed then causing Artemis to jump slightly, "You have to tell him, Artemis! I'm sure he would love to know."

"I don't think so. I mean, I was the one who came up with the idea of sneaking around, but he agreed to it so readily, I just don't think he likes me that same way. I think he just wants a good time and nothing more."

_No, that's not true, Artemis, last night, he said he was tired of just screwing… he wanted to hold you. And what did you do? Freaked out and yelled at him. Yeah, it's totally him who doesn't want more in this relationship. Idiot._

"Oh, but I think he would really like it if you guys became more than just lovers. Maybe he wants you to be his … girlfriend!" the alien girl squealed once again and Artemis covered her ears, trying to block out the wretched noise.

"I just, don't know, Megan. What if I tell him and he says no? I'd much rather prefer to keep sneaking around with him and keep my emotions to myself than tell him how I feel and he rejects me. I just don't think I could deal with it." Not wanting the conversation to continue, she got once more and opened the door wide, "I'll be down later to play with you guys, okay? Right now I just need to think."

Nodding, Megan, left Artemis alone to think about what she really wanted from her relationship with a certain red head.

YJ YJ YJ

"Wally, c'mon on, man, you've been sulking since you woke up this morning. Come done and have some breakfast. Get your mind off of whatever is bothering you, dude. Megan, made waffles!" Robin gripped the blankets in his hands and yanked hard, revealing Wally curled in a ball in the center of his bed. "Dude, what is this? You look like a goddamn girl with cramps. What's wrong?"

The speedster's voice could barely be heard, but thanks to Batman and his intensive training, Robin's ear could pick it up easily, "Nothing you would care about or understand."

The little bird was truly offended, "Really, Wally? We've been best friends for a long time. If you don't know that by now you can tell me anything and I will help you through it, then why the hell are we friends?" his temper running from him, he stomped off to the door.

But stopped when he heard Wally whisper, "Sorry,"

Turning around, he saw Wally getting from his bed and running his fingers haphazardly through his untamed hair as he walked around his rooms in dizzing circles, "Alright, so this is what's going on. Artemis and I have been sneaking around everyone's back, hooking up for several, _several, _months now. She's the one who came up with the idea of keeping us hidden from everyone. And I agreed to it like you wouldn't believe, but now, now, there's something more between us, I can feel it. If I didn't know any better, I'd say I'd lo… really liked her. But I think that if I were to say anything to her about maybe taking our relationship to the next level, she'd freak out on me. We got into fight last night. She wanted to tell me something, but she froze. I think… man, I think she's pregnant! What happens if she is! I don't think I can deal with a mini Kid Flash. Not to mention a mini Artemis. I have a hard enough time trying to deal with the real life one without killing her! Ohmigawd! That's what it is! She's pregnant! I'M GOING TO BE A DAD! I don't want to be a dad. At least not yet." Wally spoke five miles a minute. Not once did he slow down to take a breath and Robin was having a hard time keeping up.

"Hey! Fastest Kid Alive meet Deadliest Kid Alive. If you don't chill a little bit, you're going to see exactly what he can do." Robin stopped Wally from moving anymore and sat him down.

"Okay, I'm calm, what now?"

"You have to talk to her."

"Talk?" the one word came out as a squeak.

Rolling his eyes, Robin laughed, "Yes, Wally, that thing you do when there's something wrong with people."

"I don't know, we're not exactly the talking kind." The speedster rubbed his neck awkwardly.

The bird snorted, "Yeah, I know you're usually yelling. Or screaming. Or throwing things."

"Or touching." Wally added under his breath.

"What was that?"

"Nothing,"

"Well, whatever you guys usually do. You need to talk this one out." Robin repeated.

"I know, but … it's gonna be hard, dude." Wally whined pathetically.

"I swear if you keep acting like such a girl, I'm gonna call you Wallina. Now, get your ugly butt up and out of here. Let's go eat, then we're gonna play a game later and you and Artemis can talk." Robin stood up and pulled Wally with him.

"Dude, how would you know that my ass is ugly? Are you staring at it?"

The Boy Wonder gave him a blank look, "Yes, that's exactly what I'm doing. Now, let's go."

"Alright, fine, but you're going out first."

"Why? Want a nice view of mine?"

Robin laughed as Wally just stared at him with mouth open, "Dude, whatever."

YJ YJ YJ

"Oh, Artemis! I'm so glad you came down to play with us!" Megan met Artemis in the hall and pulled her toward the living room where the rest of the young heroes sat in a circle.

"Uh, yeah, what exactly are we playing?"

Wally looked up at her from his spot with a smirk on her face, "Truth or Dare, baby."

Artemis curled her lip, "Gah, please, don't talk to me. I'm not in the mood to deal with stupidity this morning."

Both Robin and Megan had knowing looks on their faces as they watched their friends put on a show for the rest of them. "Knock it off you two. Just sit down and play."

Rolling her eyes, Artemis sat on the ground in between Wally and Megan.

Laughing, the alien looked around at her friends happily, "So, who's going to start?"

Excitement overriding him, Robin raised his hand, "Hah, I'll go!" His eyes slyly roamed the circle and landed on Superboy, "Supey, truth or dare?"

"Wait does Superboy even know how to play this game?" Wally asked confused.

Giving him a hard look, the clone nodded his head, "They taught me before you guys came down here. And I choose dare."

Robin smirked, "I dare you to tell us one of your secrets."

Superboy fidgeted uncomfortably and looked at Megan experimentally, "Well, a secret of mine is…" He hesitated slightly, "I'm dating Megan."

"Wait…"

"Whoa!"

"What?"

"Seriously?"

Megan blushed slightly, "Yeah, we've been hooking up for a while now,"

Everyone laughed at their awkwardness as they sat closer and held hands.

Robin was the first to quiet everyone done, "Alright, it's Supey's turn to ask someone."

Superboy took his time looking at each person in turn, "Okay, so I'm gonna ask Wally. Truth or dare?"

Wally quirked his eyebrow, "That's easy. Dare."

"Ooh, big man, gotta prove himself…" Artemis said under her breath.

"I swear, if I didn't have enough manners to know that hitting a girl was wrong, I'd kick your ass." Wally exclaimed, "Superboy, please give me a dare."

"Okay, fine, I dare you to take Artemis out on a date."

"WHOAWAITWHAT?" The two in question yelled in unison.

Wally stood up quickly, "Man, I don't think so. I can't stand being on the same planet as her, let alone in the same room."

"Yeah, and going on a date with him would just kill me!" Artemis thrust her hands on her hips.

"Well, you don't have to go out with her, but if you don't then you have to admit that you're not as fearless as you say you are, boy." Aqualad challenged.

Wally huffed indignantly, "I am too. I'll show you. I'll show all of you." He turned to face the girl he would be forced to take out and grumbled to her, "Artemis Crock, date me."

She snorted, "If that's how you ask someone to go on a date with you. I'd hate to see how you'd ask someone to marry you. Fuck."

"Seriously, Artie, will you go on a date with me?" Wally's jaw was hard and his eyes were narrowed.

For a second, Artemis was scared of what he could do if he was pushed too far. Deciding to do what was best for her, she answered, "Gah, fine whatever."

"Alright! Wallace and Artemis are going on a date!" Robin whooped and hollered.

"Did you just call me Wallace?"

"So where are you going to take her?" Megan stood up and stood next to her sister with her arm around her waist.

Artemis looked at her oddly, but gave in. Slinging her arm over Megan's shoulders, she asked, "Yeah, baby, where we going?"

"Don't call me that. Probably just a movie. A cheap one too. That's all your worth."

"You are such a fucking asshole."

The comment came from someone no one would have expected.

Superboy rose from his seat. "Why do you treat her like that? I mean I'll be the first to admit that when I first came here I was an asshole. And I know I'm not the brightest crayon in the box, but I know that women are precious and fragile. Whether it's mentally, emotionally or physically. They need to be taken care of. Even though Artemis could kick your ass up and down, she still needs protecting. She still needs to know that we care. I could never think about hurting her, Megan or any other woman. So, tell me, how is it the clone knows better, but the real boy does not?"

Wally stared hard at the boy before him, "Are you lecturing me on how to treat a girl? When Megan first came onto the team you were yelling at her for every other thing. You never gave her a break. All she ever wanted to do was pamper you and care for you. And all you did to her was yell and scream. So, tell me, how is it the real boy has never done that, but the clone has?"

Superboy stepped closer to his opponent, "That may be true, Wally. But at least I don't belittle the girl I like."

"_Like? _I don't like her. I can barely stand to look at her face."

"Keep telling yourself that."

"If I didn't know that you'd beat the shit out of me, I'd kick your ass." Wally closed the space between them.

"I guess it's a good thing for your sake that you do know." Superboy smirked, then backed away to sit on the couch.

Megan moved to him and cuddled into his side. Whispering to him, she smiled, "Thank you, Superboy."

He squeezed her in response.

"Robin, should we put stipulations on this dare?" Aqualad slyly changed the subject.

The Boy Wonder looked thoughtful before speaking, "Yes, she has to enjoy it. You have to do at least three activities. And it can't be too cheap, either, KF."

Wally hated the fact that he knew exactly what he was going to do with Artemis tonight. He was still angry at her for last night. There was something that she wanted to tell him, but for some stupid unknown reason she wouldn't tell him because she thought he wouldn't support her. What the hell could that even mean? He'd been nothing but supportive of her these last few months.

She wanted to get freaky. Like _really _freaky, he'd try it. She wanted to try her hand at art; he'd lie and say she was fantastic. She wanted to try out for her school's softball team, he was right there cheering her on at her games. No one else knew anything about her. Hell, he didn't even know everything about her, but he knew more than anyone ever had. How could she say he wouldn't support her?

"Yeah, I understand. Three activities, gotta be fun and it can't be cheap. That means the strip club is out. Damn and I was so sure they'd be interested in Artie's odd look that they'd take her off my hands."

Artemis looked over at the boy and fluttered her eyelashes, "Fuck you, too, babe." She winked at him before turning on her heel and headed to her room with Megan in tow, "I'll be expecting you to get me at eight o'clock, asshole."

Wally sneered in her direction, "I'll just bet you will be."

YJ YJ YJ

Honestly, who would have thought that since that fateful night in the courtyard that Wally would be taking out the incorrigible Artemis out on a real date? He'd been waiting for this moment for far too long and now here it was.

The only bad part about all of this was he couldn't be happy about it all without letting people onto to their secret. But, what he wanted most was to speed to her room, sweep her up and kiss for all he was worth in front of all the team.

Megan and Superboy came out about them, why couldn't he and Artie? What was so wrong with the idea of actually being together?

Fuck that. Tonight, he was giving her an ultimatum. All or nothing. Robin convinced him that he should tell her that they either tell the world about them, or he was done and everything they had been through together had been a lie.

And if they were done, there would be no holding back when they fought. Everything he'd say would be true. And he'd doing everything in his power and ability to make her regret ever screwing with him.

_Yeah right, you rank ass, you couldn't hurt her, even if you wanted to and tried like hell to do it._

It was true; it would kill him every time he'd have to fight with her…

Why the hell couldn't she just accept him? Why did she have against them being public? For God's sake, an alien and a clone had more confidence in themselves than an archer and a speeding boy. Was it something that he was doing wrong that turned her off from him? Or maybe she really was pregnant and that was why she didn't want to be with him. Because she didn't think he'd make a good daddy.

Well, if that was the reason why, he'd prove to her that he could be the best father and… husband… if need be…

He wasn't sure what it was about him that she didn't like, but if it meant keeping her, he'd walk through the fiery depths of hell to be with her… he just hoped she might feel the same way.

He was going to find out for sure though, tonight. It had to be tonight. He couldn't handle the pain of seeing her grey eyes filled with pain every time they were around their friends. He couldn't handle the pressure of keeping up the façade anymore.

He thought he'd be okay with just having few and precious moments with her, but it wasn't enough anymore. Now, he wanted more. He wanted her. All of her. Tonight's the night.

YJ YJ YJ

Tonight's the night, she wasn't doing this anymore. It was either they tell everyone or she was taking her assets and interests somewhere else. It was getting ridiculous. She was tired of all of this shit. And damn, if she didn't sound repetitive in her head, but hell, what was she supposed to do?

It had taken her all day and Megan's help to talk her into the idea of telling Wally that they had to tell people.

It had to be done.

She couldn't live this way anymore. But she hoped Wally wouldn't be able to live without her. Because she wasn't sure if she'd be able to handle it if he decided she wasn't worth it.

That last thought had her choking on her breath.

What if he really didn't want her?

Could she live with that rejection?

She didn't have a choice.

_Focus on something else, Crock, no time for negativity right now._

Knowing that that was true, she looked in her full length mirror to assess her outfit. Instead of wearing her usual civvie clothes, she opted for something that was more feminine and in Megan's opinion, would make Wally's jaw drop. The loose threads from her jean miniskirt tickled the tops of her thighs and left a good amount of white skin between the material and her black knee high boots. Her white tank top hugged her torso at the level of tightness she preferred and her brown leather jacket was just waiting for her to complete the outfit. In lieu of her normal pony tail, Megan convinced her to let her hair down and let it loose.

And that's exactly what it was doing. It seemed almost out of control, but she had a feeling that if she were to put it up, Megan would know and find to tell her to put it back down.

A knock sounded at her door. Her head snapping up, she rushed to the door in anticipation. Quickly realizing that if anyone else was out there they would see her excitement, she slowed her pace and lazily opened the door.

Wally stood alone in the hallway dressed in a pair of very faded jeans and red button up shirt that he left open at the collar, showing some of his chest, all under a black leather jacket. He was delectable. She licked her lips and she noticed the movement hadn't gone unseen by him. His eyes followed her tongue and narrowed his eyes meaningfully when she bit her lip.

Wally couldn't breathe as he watched that tiny pink muscle move intimately over her lush lips. And when she sunk her teeth into said lips he almost lost it. Needing to be in control, he cleared his throat, "Ready to go?"

She nodded.

Well tonight was definitely going to be interesting.

Whether it was good or bad was something entirely different.

YJ YJ YJ

Tonight's the night, Megan could feel it. Tonight, she and Connor would finally tell her uncle and his 'father'. She just hoped everything turned out okay for them, because she truly felt that without Connor, she would have no purpose to live anymore.

YJ YJ YJ

Tonight's the night, Kaldur was finally going to get peace and quiet. The yellers were going out. Megan and Connor had a date with their handlers. And Robin, well, who knew about Robin. But as far as he knew, he'd be all alone tonight. And that was just fine with him… most of the time anyway…

YJ YJ YJ

Tonight's the night, Connor supposed. At least that's what Megan kept telling him. He didn't want to tell Superman, but it was important to M'gann, and that's all that mattered to him. Megan was his everything. And if keeping her with him meant confronting the man that shared his DNA, then he'd do it.

YJ YJ YJ

Tonight's the night; Robin was going to be proven right. And, man, did he love being right. After KF's and Artemis's date, they would come home and they would totally be so into each other that they'll have to tell the other team members. He'd make sure of it. It would be good rubbing it in Kaldur's face…

YJ YJ YJ

"Babe, are you hungry?"

Artemis let out a long suffering sigh; that had to have been the twentieth time Wally had asked her. She loved that he cared enough about her to ask. But when the answer to the question had been the same answer each time, it only irritated her.

"Ask me again and I will not hesitate to hit you."

He laughed, "I do love when you're feisty."

She stopped mid-step on the sidewalk and turned to face him, "If you do, then why did you get so angry with me? What's going on with us?"

He too stopped then, "Me? I'm not the one who got angry, Artie. You had something to say to me and you didn't say it. You wanted to be left alone, so I left."

"I couldn't tell you because I knew you didn't feel the same, but now that you mention it. We need to talk."

He hated those four words that fell from her lips; they could only mean something bad. "I know you're right. We do. But, can we do it later? If you're gonna break up with me, then I want this night to be the most special night either of us will have."

Artemis was baffled by what he was saying to her. Break up? Who said anything about breaking up? Did he really think that she wanted to end this? Or was that his decision… Before she could set it straight, he gripped her wrist in his and started walking toward the theatre.

The theatre loomed above her. She'd always loved coming to the movies by herself. It was a time to enjoy her life without anyone else bothering her. The red and yellow lights twinkled brightly above her, sending small little shivers over her body. There was something about any kind of light contrasting against the blackened sky that would, without fail, make her warm all around.

Wally noticed the joy that spread across his companion's face. It w as a breathtaking sight, honestly. Unable to help himself, he laid his hand against her cheek and bent down to kiss her. It was a light one. Just a faint brush of lips, but it was enough to make his cock harden.

Quickly, he broke from the kiss and went to the ticket stand. He bought the two tickets for _Red Riding Hood _without bothering to check if Artemis had seen it or not. It was a movie about love and trust and secrets. It was perfect for what he wanted, besides that was the only theatre that he was able to rent out for just them.

He looked behind him to find her, but she was nowhere to be found. Walking down the hall, he saw her. She stood talking to a guy dressed in all black with metal protruding from all over his face. Just her type. Red clouded his vision and jealousy roared to life in him. "Artie, let's go, our movie starts in a few minutes." He called out to her with more malice in his voice than he intended.

She furrowed her eyebrows as she looked at him. With another word to the other guy, she came over her Wally. "What was that about?"

"What was _that _about?" he pointed toward the Goth looking guy, "I saw you. He's totally your type. You were so into him."

She threw up her arms, exasperated, and barked a laugh, "Are you serious right now?"

"Deadly."

"Because I was talking to him, I like him? Wow, how… stereotypical. Really, Wally, I had thought we were passed all of this? For fuck's sake I put up with your flirting with Megan all the damn time and never think that you're going to cheat on me with her. Why can't you trust me?"

"Trust you? You won't even trust me enough to…" the silence stopped him. Looking around, he saw that everyone in the hall was staring at them. Frustrated, he pulled her into their movie theatre room. He locked it quickly, thankful that the movie wouldn't start until he said so and ran back to her, "You don't even trust me enough to tell me that you're pregnant."

She looked over his shoulder, "How did you lock that?" Then his last statement sunk into, "Whoa… wait, what? I didn't even tell myself I was pregnant. Where the hell did you get that thought? Am I getting fat or something? Is that why you don't want me?" she gestured to herself crazily.

"Are you nuts? You're perfect. Even if you did get fat, it wouldn't make me want you any less. It would just make you curvier. Who the hell doesn't want curves? I'm gonna go with you're not pregnant, but I'd like an answer to why you thought _I _didn't want _you._"

"No, I'm not pregnant. You haven't seemed very interested in my lately. I just thought that you were done with me or something. Do you have any idea how much I hate insecurity? I _never _get insecure. But when it comes to you, I get more unsure than an overweight girl with thick glasses and head gear on a chocolate binge. I do not like that!"

Wally reveled in the fact that she got so nervous when it came to him. It warmed him all the way to his toes. His muscles started to form a smile, "Artie, chill. Baby, I'm so interested in you that if it were anymore, I'd literally be obsessed with you. But I can't say anything like that to you. You're the one who said we shouldn't tell anyone. The one who made it clear that we shouldn't get emotionally involved. How am I supposed to believe that I'm that desirable to you, when you never show it?"

"Seriously, Wally, I thought you didn't want to say anything to anyone. I know I said it, but you made me feel it even after I stopped believing it."

Wally ran his hands through his hair, "So, you thought I didn't want you and I thought you didn't want me? Wow, babe, I think we need to communicate more and better from now on. That is if you'll want to be with me after this fiasco."

Artemis let out a tinkling laugh, "I wouldn't go through all this trouble if I didn't want you, Wally. And to answer the unspoken question, yes, I want to let our relationship be known. To everyone."

The smile that had started broke freely into a grin that stretched ear to freckled ear. He swept up the lithe girl and carried her further into their private theatre. The screen was black, but the room still had a light glow to it, courtesy of lights surrounding the room.

Setting her down, Wally let out an ear piercing scream and within second, the screen began playing their movie.

Artemis's breath caught in her throat, "How did you…?"

He smirked at her, "Being a superhero has its perks."

She started to make her way to a pair of seats she usually sat in when she came to the movies, but Wally grabbed her hand and moved her away, "No, no, no, we're sitting over here."

Intrigued, she followed him to the aisle. She looked at him confused as he pulled out a blanket and two pillows and laid down, "What are you doing?"

"I spent a good amount of money on this place. I'm doing whatever the hell I want to do." he tugged on her wrist and she complied. She cuddled into his side, in the shelter of his arm. He splayed the blanket out over them. "Oh, and dinner is going to be served in about an hour. I've covered all of Robin's rules. Oh and don't eat all of the candy."

"What candy?"

"This candy."

Artemis turned at the sound of the dismembered familiar voice.

Robin stood just above her in a full tux holding a silver tray with an array of candy. She noticed her favorites were the most dominant kind, "Aw, thanks, Bird Boy, this is so sweet of you."

He rolled his eyes, "I only agreed to this so I can laugh in Aqualad's face when you guys get home holding hands."

She laughed as she chose some of the sweet treats and Robin left, "He's a charmer."

Wally smiled, "I know, we're working on house breaking him."

Laughing harder, she turned her attention to the movie. "Oh my, God, I've been wanting to see this movie for so long now!"

Wally swiped a hand across his forehead, wiping away the invisible sweat, "That's a load off then. Good to know I chose the right movie."

"You couldn't have done anything better."

"Really? Well can I try to outdo myself?"

She nodded, "You can try."

"Alright, good." He sat up and pulled her with him, "Artemis Crock. I love you."

Her whole body froze, "Are you serious?"

"Deadly."

She cocked her head, "You use that a lot, you know?"

He gave her a blank stare, "Stop changing the subject."

She opened her eyes in surprise, "I'm not."

"You are."

"Fine." She shrugged.

"Fine? That's all you have to say?"

"No."

"Then what?"

"I love you, too. That's all I have to say on this subject now."

Without saying another word to each other they laid back down and watched their movie.

YJ YJ YJ

It was well after midnight before the two teenagers came home. The place was completely dark when they entered. Laughing at themselves because Wally managed to hit three separate objects on the way in and loud whispering to each other telling one another to be quiet they failed to hear the small movements coming from a nearby chair. That is until the room flooded with light.

Feeling like the cat that ate the proverbial canary, the couple stopped and turned to the source of light. Leaning against the wall was a very tired Kaldur. Cuddling on the couch were a smiling and loving Megan and Connor. And sitting on the chair was a very satisfied Robin.

"How was your date?"

The first that came to her mind was pushing Wally away and lying that he was a total douche to her the entire night. But when she felt a certain someone's hand crawl into hers, she melted. "It went perfect. Guys, we have something to tell you. Wally and I have been together for a long time now."

"And we're staying that way. The only change is that we're telling people now."

She faced him, "Well, I don't know if that'll be the only change. People change all the time."

He rolled his eyes, "Yeah, but we won't."

She released his hands and forced her hands on her hips, "You don't know that. Why are you saying that if you don't know?"

"Babe, but I do know."

Kaldur pushed himself off the wall, "Here's what I know. One: Robin was right. Credit goes to you," Robin's face visibly fell from not getting to rub it into the older boy's face, "Two: there is going to be two couples in this household now that you guys have come out and neither M'gann's nor Superboy's guardians were against it," Megan beamed at her boyfriend and Connor just held her tightly, "And three: there's always going to be one thing that you guys won't be able change. You're always going to argue."

Artemis wasn't convinced, "We will not."

Wally snorted, "Yeah, baby, we probably will."

"No, we won't."

"Yeah, we will."

Kaldur laughed, "Point proven. Well, I'm going to sleep. Night, all."

"He just sucked the fun out of _everything! _I'm out. Night, guys." Before anyone could say goodbye to him, Robin disappeared.

"Yes, we too are going to bed. Sleep well." Megan and Connor walked hand in hand to either their own rooms or to share one.

Artemis looked after her friends, "You think he's right?"

Nodding, he took her hand again, "Yeah, I do, but it doesn't matter to me. Why? Because, I love you. And that's something that I know."

One side of her mouth kicked up, "Good, because I love you more than I've ever thought possible."

"Forever and always?"

"Forever and always, baby boy."


	12. SoMa: As You Turn Away

_Standing face to face;_

Her steel toed boots met his sneakers easily, face to face, chest to chest, hand to hand. They stood staring at each other. Green eyes verse red eyes. Sadness drowned both pairs of eyes. Sadness, pain, hatred, deep love, and far too more.

Why was he doing this to her?

Why couldn't she see that he had to do this?

_Wrapped in your embrace;_

He pulled her into his arms and she nearly lost the tears that threatened to spill over like rain falling from a leaf. His lean, yet muscled arms held her to him strongly, as he cradled her in his chest. She bit her lip to keep from crying out the anguish.

_I don't wanna let you go;_

She gripped onto him hard, not wanting to let him leave her. She had to keep him right there with her. She'd do anything to keep him against her. To keep his arms locked around her. To keep his head rested atop hers. She'd do _any_thing… she just needed the chance. To tell him, to fix this, to do what she needed to do.

_But you're already gone;_

It was futile; she knew… he wasn't even really here with her anyway. His mind already made up there was no way to change it. She pulled back, looked up into his eyes and noticed they were unfocused… as though he couldn't really look at her. A spark of hope flared in her chest, maybe he wasn't hard as a rock as she thought he was.

_Now you kiss my cheek, soft and bittersweet;_

His arms dropped away from her, his head left hers, and his warmth was sucked from her, leaving her colder than a winter night. He trailed his fingers down her arm until his hand was firmly wrapped around hers. He leaned in, tilting his head to the side and kissed her cheek. Emotions ran through her like knives; sweet, kind, loving, bitter, angry, hating.

_I can read it in your eyes;_

She wanted to drop to her knees as the force from that simple chaste kiss overwhelmed her. Why did he have to do this? Making herself to look up into the uniquely colored eyes of her Soul, she could read it plainly in his eyes…

_Baby, this is our goodbye;_

He was saying goodbye to her…forever. There was no turning back. No redo-s. Just simply goodbye. They weren't going to be anymore. This was an ending…an ending she did not want or ever thought would happen. They had a Meister and weapon partnership like no other and he wanted to end it all?

_Let go of my hand;_

Soul felt Maka wrench her hand from his and he felt like a weight crashed into his chest painfully. She looked up at him and he nearly lost control when her broken voice whispered hoarsely, "Please don't touch me." he had hurt her and he knew it.

_So I can feel again;_

But he knew that once they walked away from each other tonight, she'd be able to move on. She'd find a new weapon partner, a new guy who would love her the way she was supposed to be loved. Soul, himself wasn't good enough for her and they both knew it, both felt it. Though she'd never admit it.

_Nothing's gonna hurt as much as that final touch;_

But what he also knew was that that last little touch of her soft skin sliding across his calloused hand would be the death of him when he went back home to live with his brother tonight and thought about it. When he was alone in his new bed in his new room, when he couldn't sleep, when he tossed and turned, he'd think about how much pain that little touch brought.

Her small voice brought him out of his reverie quickly, "We can…we can still be friends, can't we?" she choked out the words and he hated himself for what he was about to do.

_No we can't be friends;_

He stuffed his hands into his pockets and took a small step back. With an air of cool that he'd practiced all his life, he lowered his voice to a monotone pitch spoke, "No, we can't be friends."

_Cause I don't think I could take seeing you and knowing where we've been;_

Her slim shoulders hunkered down and he watched as she closed in on herself. It was heart breaking watching this proud, strong and amazing girl break before his eyes, but he couldn't be her friend after they were done with this. It would kill them both.

And if she thought about it, she'd realize it too. It was too painful to pretend like they were friends when they both knew that being so close to one another but never being able to go back to the way they were would kill them.

A quiet voice echoed in his mind, _if you want her so bad why are you leaving her? _He pressed a finger to his temple, the answer to that was simple: he wasn't good enough to be with her the way she wanted him to be. He was cold and a little harsh toward her, but never once had he lied to her or cheat her. He was insensitive, but he wasn't cruel. He loved her and she loved him, but he wasn't fitting of her love. And once he was gone from her life, she'd see it too.

_I hope you understand;_

He cleared his throat before he could talk to her, "I'm sorry, Maka. But it's for the best."

She only nodded her blonde head, unable to speak.  
N_othing more to say, nothing left to break;_

Neither of them said anything else, Maka stared at the floor, Soul stared at her. He wanted so desperately for her to say something, but he knew by her posture that he wasn't going to get anything from her. At least not yet. Wracking his brain, he looked for something to say to her. Something that would comfort her or maybe get her to tell him what she was thinking. But nothing came to mind.

_I keep reaching out for you hoping you might stay;_

"Soul, please, you don't have to do this. Whatever it is I did that made you feel like this was the only option, I'm sorry. It's not. Please, Soul, please…we can fix this. I want to, don't you?" she choked on her words and felt warmth slowly start to fall down her face.

_Nothing more to give, nothing left to take;_

He opened his mouth as if to say something, but no words fell from his mouth. Instead, he sighed and shook his head. Maka's mind begged her to cry out in misery. Why, why, why, god, why was he being so stubborn? There had to be a reason for this. Had to be a reason why he wanted to end it, why he wouldn't see reason and fix this.

_I keep reaching out for you;_

Her hand reached out for him, but she brought it down again. She couldn't seem weak to him. Not right now. He was being strong about this and so would she. Gritting her teeth, she closed her eyes and breathed deeply and evenly for thirty seconds. Opening her eyes again, she realized that the tears were being held at bay. She was fine for now.

_One step my heart is breaking;_

Soul inhaled a deep breath as he watched Maka regain her composure. That was the girl he knew, the girl he loved, the girl who wouldn't appear weak if she knew she could be stronger. He gave a small, tight lipped smile before turning away and taking a step toward the door. Deep inside, he felt his heart breaking. That damned organ that he kept so carefully guarded had been captured by the small blonde girl behind him…and yet he still wouldn't give in.

_One more my hands are shaking;_

As he took another step toward the door, Maka's hands shook painfully. He stood just before the door, his hand on the knob and she had hope he'd turn around and welcome her back into his arms. But when the door opened and he stepped out, her heart shattered.

_The door is closing, and I just can't change it;_

She tried. She tried with all she had. And it still wasn't enough. He walked out into the hallway with the door closing on his retreating back. And dammit all, there was nothing she could to change that damned little fact. Nothing more she could do to bring him back. He was gone from her life. Forever.

_I keep reaching out for you as you turn away;_

To hell with weakness. The lock snicked into place and her entire, carefully created composure fell away. Torment rang through her small body and a haunted cry erupted from her chest. She called out Soul's name, hoping to bring him back… but he was already too far gone. She could never reach out to him again.


	13. SoMa: Say When

You're in the song playing on the background  
All alone but you're turning up now  
And everyone is rising to meet you, to greet you  
Turn around and you're walking toward me  
I'm breaking down and you're breathing slowly  
Say the word and I will be your man, your man

_[Chorus]_  
Say when  
And my own two hands will comfort you  
Tonight, tonight  
Say when  
And my own two arms will carry you  
Tonight, tonight

Come close and then even closer  
We bring it in but we go no further  
We're seperate.  
Two ghosts in one mirror, no nearer  
Later on if it turns to chaos, hurricane coming all around us  
See the crack, pull it back from the window, you stay low

_[Chorus]_

Come across you lost and broken  
You're coming to but you're slow in waking  
You start to shake.  
You still haven't spoken, what happened  
They're coming back and you just dont know when  
You want to cry but there's nothing comin'  
They're gonna push until you give in, say when

Now we're here and it turns to chaos  
Hurricane coming all around us  
Double crack throws you back from the window, you stay low

It all began with the man and country  
Every plan sends another century around again  
Another nation fallen

Maybe god can be on both sides  
Of the gun never understood why  
Some of us never get it so good, so good  
Some of this was here before us  
All of this will go after us  
Never stops until we give in, give in

_[Chorus]_

Say when  
And my own two hands will comfort you  
Tonight, tonight


End file.
